MMB 40. Yui Shinmoto
40. Yui Shinmoto
Tokyo.
Li Xiang arranged to meet Ken Honma, the owner of LesPros Entertainment, at the "Shun" sushi restaurant in Ginza.
Han Jiayin was acting as Dalia's guide to investigate the eel business and did not come along.
"Mr. Li, these are the artist profiles of our company. Please take a look." Kenji Honma couldn't speak Chinese, so he brought a translator with him.
Li Xiang took the documents and said to the translator in a thick Shanxi accent, "Tell him I don't want to buy GG, I want to buy a person from him."
Open the artist's profile.
At the top of the list is Kyoko Hasegawa, the "GG Queen" of LesPros Entertainment, who holds more than a dozen national-level endorsements, including Shiseido and NTT DoCoMo.
The company has dozens of employees, and she supports them all.
The second is Hinano Yoshikawa, who was incredibly popular in the 90s, but her popularity declined sharply due to gossip about her marriage and divorce, and she is now in a semi-faded state.
The third target was Li Xiang's goal for this trip—Yui Shinmoto.
The summer campus drama "My Boss, My Hero" currently airing on Japanese TV has achieved a single-episode viewership rating of over 20%. Shin-Yuan's portrayal of the second female lead, Umemura Hikaru, has received considerable praise and is already showing signs of becoming a star.
However, those in the industry currently still consider her to be the leading model for the fashion magazine "Nicola".
The path from a hot young model to a professional actress is not easy.
"This is her," Li Xiang said, pointing to Xinyuan's photo.
The translator was a little confused, but still conveyed Li Xiang's meaning to Honma Ken.
Kenjiro Honma communicated directly with Xiang Li, gesturing with his hands as he spoke.
"No." New Yuan won't do.
I scrolled down and clicked on a few people in the artist profiles. "Yes."
It means these people can be sold.
Li Xiang took out his wallet, unfolded it, and showed the photos inside to Honma Ken.
"You know Shin-en?" Honma Ken looked astonished.
Before the translator could relay the message, Li Xiang interjected, "This is my high school deskmate. I wanted to buy the contract for the Singapore dollar because they look alike."
"I was young and naive when I was young, and all I knew was how to play video games. I only realized my mistake and regretted it later."
The translator, always eager for gossip, asked, "She got married?"
"We already have a child," Li Xiang said to the translator with a sad expression. "Since it's a business deal, there must be a price. Tell Boss Honma to give me a quote. If I can't afford it, I'll give up."
After communicating with the translator, Homma Kenji did not provide a direct quote.
"Mr. Li, may I ask what your family does for a living?"
Li Xiang lied, saying, "I used to work in a coal mine. Business was pretty good a few years ago, but it's been getting stricter and stricter lately, so it's not doing so well anymore. My dad thinks I'm just staying at home doing nothing, so he gave me some money and told me to find something to do."
"Making films and television is pretty good. Whether it makes money or not is another matter, but at least it's prestigious."
Honma Ken's eyes lit up after hearing the translator's account.
He was a prominent Shanxi coal mine owner who dominated the Chinese film industry, and before that, he had only been heard of but never seen.
This is a fat sheep that has delivered itself to our doorstep!
[Emotional change: Secret delight]
LesPros Entertainment was originally a modeling agency, but it was converted into an entertainment company in February of this year, which demonstrates Kenji Honma's ambition to expand his business empire.
But ambition needs to be supported by money, preferably other people's money.
The translator relayed the message: "Singapore has six years left on the contract, and Mr. Honma is asking for one million US dollars."
Li Xiang looked displeased and slowly said, "This price is a bit outrageous. I did my homework before coming here, and two hundred thousand US dollars is a reasonable price."
"You didn't intend to sell the Singapore dollar; it was I who brought it up. I understand you need to offer a premium. But it doesn't have to be a million dollars."
"Do they really think we Shanxi people are all bumpkins!"
Li Xiang had also considered using Gusinsky's name and television resources to win over Honma Kenji, but he was afraid it would backfire.
It's still better to be a coal mine owner; you're rich, easy to fool, and you don't have to worry about retaliation even if you get ripped off.
Li Xiang hesitated for a few seconds, then bargained with his soul, "Didn't he want one million? One million it is. Five hundred thousand for the person, and five hundred thousand for investment."
"After investing, I'm practically a boss now. Xinyuan's artist relationships have been transferred to my company, but she still needs to stay with you. I don't have any film and television resources in Japan, so you have to help me continue to develop her."
After hearing the translator's message, Kenji Honma couldn't contain his excitement and said, "I can help him continue to cultivate Shingen, but the work can't be done for free. LesPros will take half of the income Shingen earns through LesPros."
"In addition, training artists requires them to bring their own investment to the production team, and he has to pay for that cost."
The person is sold, and half of the proceeds are split.
They bring their own funding to the production team to cultivate new talent, and they can also squeeze in some other artists along the way.
Kenjiro Honma's plan wasn't just about winning twice; it was about winning head-on.
After listening to the translation, Li Xiang immediately gestured to Honma Kenji, "OK."
"Ask him when he'll give us the money?" Kenji Honma said impatiently.
The translator paused for a moment, then said, "We haven't even discussed how to calculate the equity investment yet."
Kenjiro Honma smiled kindly at Li Xiang, then turned to speak to the translator.
"He's a spendthrift. I'm worried his family won't approve after he finishes his business deal and goes back to China. Tell him to sign the contract tomorrow and make the payment within three days."
"By the way, don't tell Xinyuan about this."
Li Xiang has a complete business plan, and the top Japanese female star is a key part of it. Choosing Xinyuan was just a matter of timing.
Pirate website WeTv has already been set up.
Li Xiang plans to introduce a large number of Japanese and Korean dramas to Russia, and this audience has been carefully selected.
The majority of the customers are women, young, with considerable purchasing power, and they are also fans of Japanese and Korean products. They are a potential consumer group for Japanese and Korean goods, making them very suitable for monetization.
Especially cosmetics and clothing.
In Russia, Japanese cosmetics are considered high-end and superior to Korean products.
However, apart from top Japanese brands like Shiseido, Russians don't have a high level of awareness of Japanese cosmetics; they are most familiar with European brands.
This creates an information gap that can be exploited for arbitrage.
Made in Japan, if you haven't heard of the brand, it's definitely not a top-tier brand, but if they can afford to use top-tier celebrities as spokespeople, it's probably selling pretty well in Japan.
It's at least a second-tier city!
E-commerce requires burning money. Where does the money come from? By using cosmetics companies to support the internet.
Li Xiang had no intention of actually having a scene on Japanese TV; he could simply have Shinmoto Yui film a fake scene from a Japanese TV show and insert it into the pirated episode.
You can also mix in some genuine GGs from major European brands like Dior and L'Oréal.
The beauty of contrast lies in the fact that we're all on the same level.
-
In Kenjiro Honma's eyes, Li Xiang was a piece of fat meat that was already within reach.
Signing a contract is useless; where will Li Xiang get the penalty for breach of contract after he returns to China?
The key is payment!
Li Xiang must not be allowed to leave Ridao before the money arrives in his account.
How can we get Li Xiang to stay willingly? We should use whoever he's after as bait.
"Yui".
"Mr. Li is a fan of yours. He flew all the way from China just to see you. He even wants to invite you to act in movies and do endorsements in China."
"Take a leave of absence from school and accompany him around Japan for a few days. Tokyo, Osaka, Kyushu, Hokkaido, go wherever you want, the company will cover all expenses."
"Mr. Li doesn't speak Japanese, so the translator will handle things for you when he speaks to you. You just need to keep smiling. Don't you know how to smile?"