Traffic Star Development Program

Chapter 1: The Company on the Verge of Collapse

February in Qianhu City, 2015.

The weather is still in a state of alternating cold and warm.

In an office in the Wanda office building, Zeng Hao picked up an entertainment newspaper from his desk.

"On January 17th, Jay Chou and his mixed-race girlfriend of four years held their wedding in the UK..."

"On January 20th, former Little Tigers member Wu Long and Liu Shi suddenly posted their wedding photos and wedding rings on Weibo..."

"On January 22, a video of former Love Apartment member Chen Chi and Zhang XX kissing passionately in their apartment was exposed."

"Throughout February, the entertainment industry was full of surprises and drama. Compared to the cheating scandal and ladybug scandal of 2014, I jokingly call the start of 2015 the 'love scandal'..."

Zeng Hao glanced at it and then tossed the newspaper aside.

His thoughts are a bit jumbled right now.

One day I was enjoying the "blessings" of working 996 at a major company, but unexpectedly, I was transported back to 2015 overnight and had to take over a mess.

The company is about to go bankrupt, how can I have time to gossip about others?

Last year, their company made a huge investment in the international blockbuster "The Crossing," which just finished its run half a month ago. The production cost was 4 million yuan, and the final box office was 2.46 million yuan, with an estimated total loss of 3.4 million yuan.

They were very lucky; Sunshine Entertainment invested a full 1000 million RMB in it.

This amount of money may seem small, but it is enough to bankrupt a small company that has been established for less than two years. Moreover, of the 1000 million yuan investment, 200 million yuan was borrowed from banks.

There are less than 3 months left to repay the loan.

Don't think this has nothing to do with Zeng Hao, who has traveled through time. He is now the legal representative and sole owner of the company. His former partner, Lao Sun, a second-generation coal miner, ran away like a broken doll after his family business ran into some problems and his investment here failed.

At present, most employees of Sunshine Entertainment Company have already received the news in advance, and those with connections have already submitted their resignations, saying "It's a long road ahead, but we'll meet again someday."

Those without connections are still observing the situation, hoping that this last remaining boss can turn the tide.

In short, it's no exaggeration to say that the company is in a state of disarray, with morale low and the company on the verge of collapse.

Sunshine Entertainment is an entertainment company whose main business is film and television production and investment. Throughout 2014, the company's main business was to produce a low-budget urban romance web series called "Lazy Cat's Lion Reflection", which was adapted from the popular online novel "My Wife Fell in Love with Me". The series was sold.

The final result... earned nearly 100 million.

The male lead took the lion's share in the form of his salary.

The second business was to try every means to catch the late train of "The Crossing". As for the outcome of this investment... I'm sure everyone knows.

If Zeng Hao had been reborn a year earlier, he would have grabbed Lao Sun's arm and yelled: "You idiot! This is one of the five Chinese films that lost the most money in the history of Chinese cinema!"

The third business segment is the artist management department, which was established just last year.

At the time, Zeng Hao's former partner, Lao Sun, was wealthy and made a series of verbal promises against all odds, poaching a second-tier female celebrity from another company to serve as the mainstay of Sunshine Entertainment.

This female celebrity is named Yang Shanshan. She was born in November 1986 and graduated from the Music Performance major of Huijing Art College. In 2005, she officially entered the entertainment industry with the single "Baby Baby".

She later changed agencies several times. Her highlight was in 2013 when she starred in a youth romance film called "So Young," playing the role of Zheng Wei.

As for what promises Old Sun made?

It's nothing more than... a significant female role in the internationally acclaimed film "The Crossing," which the company invested in and which was directed by the internationally renowned director Pigeon Wu.

The project eventually fell through, and the renowned director gave the role to Zhang Ziyi, which caused Yang Shanshan to have a falling out with the company.

Even though the company gave her the lead role in its self-produced film "The Lion's Reflection" last year, it didn't make much of a difference. Currently, this pillar of the company, and the only second-tier actress the company can boast about, is having a cold war with the company and is only one step away from terminating her contract.

After figuring out the situation, Zeng Hao rubbed his temples, picked up the phone on the boss's desk, and said, "Sister Liu, bring me the operating financial reports for the company's three business segments."

A moment later, Ms. Liu, a woman in her thirties with a few freckles on her face and wearing a women's suit, appeared in the boss's office.

Sister Liu was the HR manager who was publicly recruited in the market when the company was first established. She also served as the finance and cashier, and was considered a long-time employee of the company.

"Mr. Zeng, here is the business operations report you requested."

After handing the newly printed report to Zeng Hao, Sister Liu did not leave, but stood quietly to the side.

While processing the jumbled fragments of memories in his mind, Zeng Hao calmly opened the report.

The investment department reported that the final box office results for the international blockbuster "The Crossing," which was financed by borrowing money last year, have been released, showing a gross of 2.46 million RMB. The total investment for the film was approximately 4.2 million RMB (4 million RMB for production plus 2000 million RMB for promotion). This means that the 1000 million RMB investment squeezed out by Sunshine Entertainment through borrowing money only accounted for one forty-second of the total investment.

Based on the box office of 2.46 million, the investors will receive about 33% of the 2.46 million, which is about 8100 million. Sunshine Entertainment will receive one forty-second of the 8100 million.

It is approximately equal to 186 million.

This is only the theoretical situation; in reality, the calculation is not like that.

Because Sunshine Entertainment entered the market relatively late and lacked bargaining power with internationally renowned directors and a host of big-name peers, its actual return on investment was far less than one forty-two.

Zeng Hao roughly calculated that he would receive about 100 million yuan in the end, but even that would not be paid out until six months after the movie's run ended.

If you invest 1000 million and get 100 million back, including the film's production time, the return cycle is about a year and a half.

It's like losing money hand over fist.

Even if you deposit 1000 million in a bank, you can earn a lot of interest.

As a time traveler, Zeng Hao understood his former partner's calculations. He simply thought that getting on this international train was a sure thing, and he could also expand his network of contacts. If he could help Zhang Shanshan from the company get a role, that would be a great win.

Just as Su Hao was reviewing the reports, Sister Liu, who had been standing in the office, suddenly spoke up and asked, "President Zeng, can our company survive?"

Sister Liu's voice was filled with uncertainty about the future. She probably felt that the company had reached a dead end. Otherwise, why would a second-generation coal mine owner suddenly choose to run away?

Zeng Hao opened the drawer, took out a pack of cigarettes, lit it, and pondered for a moment.

With keen observation, Sister Liu cleaned up the ashtray on the desk and put it back in its original place. Her eyes were full of expectation as she stared intently at Zeng Hao.

She had even mentally prepared herself to go back to the job market next month to look for work.

But then again, if given a choice, who would want their company to go bankrupt?

"Sister Liu, how much money is left in the company's accounts?"

"I still have less than 3 left, and there are still 10 days until payday on the 12th."

If Zeng Hao, the sole boss, is unable to pay salaries, more than half of the company's thirty-odd employees will likely leave instantly.

The remaining people will also actively seek a way out.

If it really comes to that, then the team will scatter like leaves in the wind, and it will be completely impossible to lead them.

"Bring me a copy of the company's employee form and clearly mark on it who has left and who is planning to leave."

"Yes, Mr. Zeng."

Before leaving, Sister Liu couldn't help but ask again, "President Zeng, our company will survive, right?"

Zeng Hao looked at the veteran employee in front of him and a rare confident smile appeared on his face. "Don't worry, a sum of money will be transferred to the company account within ten days. It won't delay the paychecks in ten days. Moreover, our company will only get better and better. We're just facing some setbacks right now. Trust me."

"If any long-term employees are planning to leave, we will try our best to retain them. I will call a meeting within three days."

"Okay, Mr. Zeng."

Sister Liu finally felt relieved, and a rare smile appeared on her usually serious face. Even her steps became lighter as she left.

This was the best news she had received during this period, and also the only good news.

After Sister Liu left, Su Hao's gaze returned to his desk.

The company's remaining working capital is almost exhausted. Right now, he has three major challenges to face. The first is that he must solve the company's monthly salary problem within ten days.

Secondly, it is to solve the company's funding problem. Whether through loans or fraud, a sum of money needs to be brought in, which is an urgent matter.

After securing working capital, the third step is to address the company's projects and overall development direction.

Moreover, this project must be one with quick returns, low investment, and stable profits. Only when the company has work to do can the demoralized employees gradually regain their morale.

Only then can we pull everyone out of their anxiety about "company bankruptcy and the company running away at any time".

While this start is somewhat challenging, it's not a complete disaster.

Better than those orphans who find they only have half a month to live right after they transmigrate.

Now, at least Zeng Hao has some assets left, as well as a bank loan of 200 million yuan that is about to mature.