"Eat it while it's hot! We have to eat our fill today, it's on your aunt!" Jiang Cancan generously ordered all the restaurant's signature dishes.
A few years ago, a girl from a poor mountain area was still boiling water in a porridge pot, but now she can order a whole table of meat and dishes without batting an eye.
Jiang Cancan knows that she has everything she has now because of Baichuan's father and Jiang Xiaoman. If Xiaoman hadn't returned to her hometown after graduating from university and unintentionally filmed those videos for the school, she wouldn't have been able to participate in the TV competition by chance.
If it weren't for Baichuan's father, she wouldn't even have had the opportunity to go to school.
During the meal, while Zhou Mingxing was away, Jiang Cancan shared some of her little troubles with her two nephews. After all, keeping troubles to yourself can really cause problems, but sharing them with more people makes things much easier.
“I wanted to donate some money to our village primary school, but Baichuan’s father disagreed. He said that I should save my money for my grandmother’s retirement and to support Yueyue’s schooling.”
"But I really don't need the money now, and I want to contribute to Langshan like you guys do!"
Jiang Cancan's tone was full of grievance and confusion.
She's working so hard to earn money, so why do people still treat her like a child?
Not only did Baichuan's father not take her money, but he also gave her a large red envelope before she left, saying it was a reward received from the school's video account. Seeing that it was from Jiang Cancan's fans, Jiang Baichuan had someone write down the money separately. Since it was a reward from Cancan's fans, it should naturally be returned to her.
Xiaoman is the same. I heard that they set up an agricultural cooperative in their hometown and even borrowed hundreds of thousands of yuan from the bank!
Going to the bank will incur interest, so why not go to her?
For Jiang Cancan, several hundred thousand yuan is not a big deal right now. She can decide for herself that she will not only not ask for interest, but if Xiaoman really loses money, she will not even ask for the principal back.
But Jiang Xiaoman's nephew would rather go to the bank than ask his aunt for help, which really infuriated her!
However, Jiang Cancan's "complaint" actually reminded Jiang Xiaoman.
He never imagined that being a celebrity could be so lucrative. Since Can Can's family didn't have any reliable elders, he really should lend a hand and help her figure out how to make her money generate more money...
Right now, there is an excellent opportunity.
"Auntie, would you like to invest in our film and television base project?"
This was something Jiang Xiaoman had just thought of on the way.
Since Su Yuan wants to use the Laoshan Aozi project to integrate and utilize the resources of several cooperatives in Langshan, why can't they simply invest together?
He searched online for some of the more famous film and television bases in China and found that in addition to palaces and pavilions used for filming, some local residences, streets, and public buildings were also used as filming locations.
Jiang Xiaoman originally planned to take out the cooperatives and planting bases under his and Shan Yan's names, and pool together some money to see if they could also participate in the film and television base project. Now that he thinks about it, if they can participate, why can't Jiang Cancan?
“Sure, Uncle Zhou said I’ve already saved over four million in my account. He’s deposited some large deposits into my account, and I should have several hundred thousand in pocket money in my card. Xiaoman, how much do you want? If that’s not enough, I have other savings that I can withdraw anytime, but I’ll have to lose some interest.”
Jiang Xiaoman was startled. Luckily, they had booked a private room for easy conversation. Otherwise, if Jiang Cancan, a young girl, had casually mentioned having millions in savings, wouldn't she have been waiting to be kidnapped and extorted?
He wouldn't dare take a few million, otherwise Uncle Baichuan would break his legs!
"I'm just letting you know in advance. Once we've reached an agreement with the other party, if they agree to let us invest, I'll discuss how much money you need to prepare with you separately. However, they probably won't let us take too many shares. Our plan is for each of us to contribute 100,000 or 200,000. We're not concerned about the size of the shares; the main thing is that our people must be involved in the daily management of the film and television base."
Jiang Xiaoman explained her concerns to the two of them.
What is the most precious thing about Langshan?
That is of course Langshan's unique cultural landscape and folk customs.
I've heard that some investment companies, under the guise of developing tourism resources, are causing serious damage to the local environment. While they claim to support rural revitalization, they are actually taking advantage of the fact that some people in impoverished mountainous areas don't understand the policies, and are illegally acquiring land in scenic spots to build villas.
While ostensibly intended for tourism development and homestay industry, these villas were actually being sold to wealthy individuals under the guise of "long-term rentals" to serve as vacation homes.
Of course, in the short term, the local government and the people did benefit. The government completed its task of attracting investment, and the people received a substantial relocation fee.
In the long run, however, it is a true case of "draining the pond to catch all the fish"—selling vacation villas to private individuals will not bring any job opportunities to the local area, while the farmers who lose their homes will lose the land they depend on for survival.
Jiang Xiaoman was worried that Su Yuan's company might also want to do the same thing, but he had no evidence. He couldn't very well ask her directly if she was using the project as a front and actually wanted to build villas in Langshan to sell for money, could he?
Although he didn't have an economics background, he knew that a company's decisions must be discussed and approved by the shareholders' meeting.
The best way to prevent people from damaging Langshan's environment under the guise of tourism development is to make these locals shareholders in the new company.
Even small shareholders with only a small number of shares have the right to attend shareholders' meetings.
He initially only had a preliminary idea, but when he heard Jiang Cancan say she wanted to make a contribution to Langshan, a new idea immediately came to him—
Yes! Jiang Cancan is not only a person in the entertainment industry, but also a native of Langshan. Moreover, she has money to invest, making her a perfect candidate to be brought in as a shareholder!
Most importantly, Jiang Xiaoman is actually very optimistic about the development prospects of this film and television base. Jiang Cancan can make money now, but the entertainment industry changes too fast; people rise to fame quickly and fade away even faster. Who knows if she will be able to continue making money in the future?
Jiang Xiaoman was planning ahead, worried that if her aunt ever "failed" and couldn't make money anymore, she would have to take advantage of the fact that she could still earn money to set up some projects that could make money for herself.
Investing in film and television bases is a great direction!
Langshan has truly beautiful scenery. Whether used as a filming location or for tourists to visit, it's a great choice. It's a stable and reliable industry with a steady stream of revenue.
Besides, those film crews are all filming in Langshan, so they should need someone to sing theme songs and insert songs for them, right? Even if Jiang Cancan doesn't get the theme song, she can at least get to sing some insert songs, right?
Jiang Xiaoman thought that with Jiang Cancan's voice, even if she could only sing theme songs for some film and television works, she could still support her family, right?
Shan Yan gave him a strange look. No wonder this kid had been so quiet the whole way; he was thinking about these things.
Is this one of the benefits of having gone to university?
After all, even he hadn't expected such a shady tactic—selling luxury villas under the guise of developing a film and television base? Although it sounded unbelievable, if you put yourself in his shoes, if he were the big boss of an entertainment company, he might also be tempted to make that kind of money.
If we rely solely on ticket sales and rent, when will we ever recoup the construction costs of the film and television base?
But if you build villas and sell luxury homes, you can earn back your investment several times over in just a few years!
Xiaoman's worries were not unfounded.
And he's right. The other party hasn't officially started negotiating with the town yet, and nobody is sure if they really just want to build a film and television base, or if they're using the film and television base as a front for real estate development. The only way to eliminate this potential problem is for them to become one of the shareholders of the project.
Shan Yan wasn't highly educated, but he knew a lot of wealthy people. He knew that in a group company, only shareholders were qualified to participate in company decision-making, and even the smallest shareholders were qualified to attend shareholder meetings.
Moreover, if these few people, plus Jiang Cancan, can raise one million yuan, along with the cooperative and planting base as in-kind shares, the small shareholders can become a large shareholder. In Jiang Xiaoman's words, they may not be able to seize the company's decision-making power, but they will definitely have the right to vote against decisions.
Moreover, there are some things that, once they know them, don't necessarily need to intervene themselves.
Unauthorized alteration of land use designation is illegal; they could easily report it to higher-level government authorities. (*￣︶￣)
As for whether reporting oneself will affect the company's interests?
Just kidding! The reason they wanted to bring in this film and television base project was never that they intended to make money from real estate development!
They just want to attract more tourists to Langshan by developing the film and television base, and incidentally create more jobs for the local people. It's not about making money for themselves at all.
While simply building a film and television base and tourist attractions may not be as lucrative as developing real estate, it can bring long-term benefits to Langshan through a steady stream of income. Jiang Xiaoman and Shan Yan exchanged a glance, both seeing the other's decision in each other's eyes.
If you can't even protect your own hometown, how can you expect others to be kind?
If they dare to make this ill-gotten fortune, how will they have the nerve to be buried in their ancestral graves a hundred years from now?
Aren't you afraid of being ganged up on by your angry ancestors?!
Having confirmed that Jiang Cancan would also be a shareholder, Jiang Xiaoman felt much more confident when she went to discuss the project with her partner the next day.
Although Hongye Entertainment is not considered a top-tier company in the country, it is definitely the kind of company that quietly makes a fortune.
They don't go public, nor do they follow the trend of creating boy bands or girl groups. They focus on two things: first, cultivating their artists, letting them sing or act, and sending them out to make money for the company; second, investing in industries related to the entertainment industry everywhere, turning the ephemeral stock price into a stable business.
He looked like a country bumpkin, but Jiang Xiaoman and Shan Yan both breathed a sigh of relief.
If given a choice, no one would want to fall out with their partner.
How wonderful it would be to make money peacefully and amicably!
Luo Feifei looked at the two of them with some confusion, wondering which of her words had touched their hearts and made them feel secretly relieved.
Could it be because you're a little nervous about working with such a large company for the first time?
Thinking of this, Luo Feifei smiled, opened her phone's photo album, and showed Jiang Xiaoman a group photo of a family gathering.
"See if you recognize anyone inside."
Jiang Xiaoman took the phone suspiciously, and the next second—
"Boss?!" In the photo, the expressionless boy standing diagonally behind Manager Luo is none other than his wealthy roommate and dormitory head, Luo Jingyi.
Luo Jingyi, Luo Feifei... He seems to know something.
“I heard from Xiao Jing before that he had a very good college classmate who went back to his hometown to start a business after graduation. Didn’t you participate in a selection for outstanding individuals in rural revitalization before? Xiao Jing even sent the link to the family group to ask for your votes. Didn’t he tell you?”
"No, no..." How could the boss possibly come to him to claim credit for something so shameful?
Even Jiang Xiaoman herself didn't go around posting links to solicit votes, okay? Just thinking about it makes me so embarrassed I want to dig my toes into the ground.
However, the organizers did require all participants to post an event link on their social media accounts. It's likely his acquaintances and fans secretly voted for him; otherwise, he wouldn't have won by such a large margin. *cough*
Luo Feifei probably glanced at Jiang Xiaoman's photo by chance while voting, but she never expected that the two would have the opportunity to work on a project together.
"Come on, let's take a picture together. I'll send it to Xiao Jing later so he can be envious too." Luo Feifei waved to Jiang Xiaoman.
The Luo family isn't from City B. Right now, only Luo Feifei is here. Luo Jingyi passed the civil service exam right after graduating from university, and at this hour, he's probably still struggling with some kind of "civilization creation" project.
Upon receiving the "provocation" from his cousin, Luo Jingyi couldn't help but roll his eyes. His cousin was already a mother of two, yet she was still so childish. Did she think she could anger him like this?
Although I was really angry, Jiang Xiaoman disappeared like she vanished into thin air after graduating from university. It had been more than two years since their dorm had even gotten together.
However, since Xiaoman won an award this time, she should be passing through the provincial capital on her way back. How about we invite all the guys in the dorm to come and celebrate with Xiaoman?
Chapter 249
Speaking of this award, even Jiang Xiaoman himself did not expect that he could overcome all obstacles, from the city to the province, and finally be selected as a national advanced figure in helping rural revitalization!
This award is so prestigious that it completely astonished the person involved.
Sun Zheyuan, who was responsible for "polishing" Jiang Xiaoman's selection materials, was also stunned.
Unlike provincial awards, where being selected guarantees at least a consolation prize, the National Outstanding Person of the Year award is a fierce competition, with dozens of provinces vying for just a few spots. How could it not be intense?
Even Sun Zheyuan, who initially wrote the materials for Jiang Xiaoman, didn't dare to dream of having Jiang Xiaoman run for the title of National Advanced Person. This is not something that can be elected by voting!
To put it bluntly, to become a "National Advanced Person," especially someone like Jiang Xiaoman who started out as an "internet celebrity," the first thing to be examined is whether they have a dark past, such as selling counterfeit goods on live streams or stealing food. If they have even one of these issues, they will be eliminated in the first round.
If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight!
The influencer circle is actually similar to the entertainment industry. The more famous and lucrative one is, the more scrutiny and supervision they will face, almost like a microscope.
Ordinary people can have some harmless flaws; even failing two courses because of being playful might only result in a beating at home. But if a celebrity fails two courses in a row, they're in for a world-famous trending topic!
If you want to be a star in the sky, then you must be someone people look up to. Otherwise, why should they look up to you? They would have kicked you down long ago!
Jiang Xiaoman didn't know how he passed through all the layers of review. In any case, by the time he received the notification, the list of winners had already been published.