dkrc Chapter 224 Really Spending Money
Chapter 224 Really Spending Money
At six o'clock in the evening, Lu Ran's phone rang.
It was Tan Yu calling.
"Brother Lu!!!" The voice on the other end of the phone was as loud and boisterous as ever, "Are you at the company?!"
Lu Ran held the phone a little further away: "Yes, what's up?"
"I'm coming right away! I need to talk to you!"
Half an hour later, Tan Yu appeared at the entrance of Tutu Technology.
It wasn't just one person; behind him were two middle-aged men in suits, carrying briefcases—clearly professionals.
"Brother Lu!" Tan Yu rushed over and grabbed Lu Ran's hand. "I heard you were bullied on WeChat!"
Lu Ran paused for a moment, then laughed: "You're quite well-informed."
"Of course!" Tan Yu puffed out his chest. "I'm your little brother! How could I not know if you were being bullied?"
He paused, then suddenly lowered his voice: "Brother Lu, my dad said that Xingyao can invest in you."
Lu Ran's eyelids twitched: "How much?"
"Thirty million," Tan Yu said. "It will be a direct investment in TUTU Technology under the name of Xingyao Entertainment."
Thirty million.
Adding the 20 million in the account, that makes 50 million.
Although they still can't compete with WeChat's 70 million, at least they have money in hand, which can help them weather the storm for a while longer in case of emergencies.
"What are the conditions?" Lu Ran asked.
Tan Yu scratched his head: "My dad said, you set the conditions. As long as Xingyao's shares don't exceed 5%, everything else is negotiable."
Lu Ran was stunned for a moment.
As long as it doesn't exceed 5%?
Everything else is negotiable?
This isn't an investment; it's giving away money.
"Tan Yu," he looked intently at this former spoiled rich kid, "did your father impose some kind of condition?"
Tan Yu also became serious: "Brother Lu, my dad said you're someone who can achieve great things. Xingyao is currently tied to your ship; if you sink, Xingyao will suffer too. So, this money is both an investment and a way to protect the ship."
He paused, then added, "Moreover, 'Meteor Garden' and 'The Starry Night' made Xingyao a lot of money. My dad said, consider it an early dividend."
Lu Ran fell silent.
He recalled that when he took over the short drama department, those people were notorious problem employees within Xingyao.
Later, it was indeed due to my own actions that I led them onto the right path.
Later, Tan's father also let Tan Yu join Shen Yuege's studio, but only in a nominal capacity.
But everyone has seen Tan Yu's progress during this period.
"Okay." He held out his hand. "I'll take the money."
Tan Yu grinned and grabbed his hand: "Brother Lu, I knew you'd accept!"
He turned to the two men in suits and said, "Attorney Chen, bring the contract over, let's sign it now!"
Lu Ran took the contract and quickly glanced through it.
The terms are simple: Xingyao Entertainment will invest 30 million yuan, taking a 3% stake. It will not participate in operations, appoint directors, or interfere with decision-making. The only requirement is that TUTU Technology, under the same conditions, will give priority to cooperating with Xingyao Entertainment.
After Lu Ran finished reading, he looked up at Tan Yu.
"Did your dad write this contract?"
"Yeah." Tan Yu nodded. "My dad said that since we're helping a friend, let's not play those roundabout games. Keep it simple and direct, and everyone will be comfortable."
Lu Ran smiled.
He picked up a pen, signed his name on the last page of the contract, and stamped it with the company seal.
"Tan Yu," he handed the contract back, "please thank your uncle for me."
Tan Yu took the contract and suddenly became serious: "Brother Lu, my dad also asked me to pass on a message."
"What did you say?"
"He said—" Tan Yu cleared his throat, "I like Lu Ran. Let him do his thing. Xingyao may not be as good as Tencent, but we can still support him."
Lu Ran was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.
That's just like what Tan's father said.
As the chairman of Xingyao's highest board of directors, Tan's father also possessed such courage.
"Alright, enough with the sentimentality." He stood up, patted Tan Yu on the shoulder, and said, "Come on, let me treat you to dinner. We can also chat about the broadcast of 'The Starry Night'."
Tan Yu's eyes lit up: "Brother Lu, you're interested in this too?"
"Nonsense, that's the script I wrote." Lu Ran walked out. "Besides, if it airs well over there, the pressure on me will be less."
The two walked out of the office side by side.
Lu Ran suddenly remembered something, turned around and called out to Zhou Mingzhe, "Brother Zhou, keep an eye on the server issue, I'm going out for a bit."
Zhou Mingzhe peeked out from behind the screen and adjusted his glasses: "Go ahead. By the way, the 'Left-Behind Rabbits Alliance' has just surpassed two million members."
Lu Ran smiled.
It seems I'm not entirely powerless to fight back.
Two million.
That's already a lot.
With two million people guarding it, TUTU won't die.
As long as you don't die, there's always a chance to turn things around.
...
8 PM, a private room in a restaurant.
While picking at the braised pork in his bowl, Tan Yu reported to Lu Ran on the broadcast status of "The Starry Night".
"The premiere episode got a 1.8 rating, the second episode jumped to 2.3, the third episode 2.8... Yesterday, the eighth episode aired, and the rating has already broken 4." He swallowed the meat in his mouth. "Brother Lu, guess what the online reviews are like?"
"How would you rate it?"
"They say—" Tan Yu cleared his throat, mimicking the tone of netizens, "This drama is addictive; once you start watching, you can't stop. Zhong Tianqi, that domineering CEO, is so handsome, and Xia Zhixing, that poor little thing, is so endearing!"
Lu Ran nodded, then asked, "What about Manxue?"
"Sister Manxue?" Tan Yu's eyes lit up even more. "She's famous! She's really famous! The whole internet is praising her acting skills. That wronged yet stubborn look in her eyes breaks people's hearts. There was even a trending topic yesterday, #XuManxueCryingScene#, and when you clicked on it, it was all praise!"
Lu Ran smiled.
Expected.
Xu Manxue's character is the soul of "The Starry Night". Her performance is excellent, and the drama stands on its own.
"By the way," Tan Yu suddenly lowered his voice, "Brother Lu, there's something I want to discuss with you."
"explain."
"I think..." Tan Yu hesitated for a moment, "I want to take a portion of F4's performance fees and give it to the Rabbit Alliance that stayed behind."
Lu Ran was stunned for a moment: "What?"
"It's that circle on TUTU," Tan Yu said. "I read those posts and I was quite moved. Those people aren't doing it for money, just for a rabbit, they're guarding it there. I thought, now that we F4 have made some money, could we do something to help them?"
Lu Ran was silent for a few seconds, then smiled.
"Tan Yu," he said seriously, "you've really grown up."
Tan Yu scratched his head and smiled sheepishly.
"Okay," Lu Ran picked up his teacup, "You decide this yourself. But there's one thing—don't be too high-profile, don't let people think you're putting on a show."
"Understood!" Tan Yu nodded vigorously.
The two clinked glasses.
Lu Ran gazed at the 88-story office building in the distance—that was where Tencent's East China branch was located.
WeChat blogger, are you just throwing money around?
You spent 70 million, right?
Just wait, sooner or later you'll know that messing with me, Lu Ran, is not just about throwing money around!
...