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Chapter 1133: Chapter 991 Perhaps That’s Art?
Half an hour later.
They arrived at the "Autumn Palace."
Zheng Lin, the owner, had been waiting for a long time and personally greeted them at the door. Early in the morning, his wife and children had gone to Chai Ren’s house; visiting was an essential "skill" for wealthy families.
Inside the tea room.
Several people sat down.
A quite attractive waitress quickly served tea, casting a furtive glance at Tang Qing: so handsome. These were the owner’s distinguished guests—she dared not linger, especially since the woman Tang Qing was embracing was far more beautiful than she.
"What would you like for lunch?" Zheng Lin asked.
Tang Qing took a sip of his tea, "Whistle noodles, there’s nothing else good to eat."
If someone else had said it,
Zheng Lin would have scoffed: showing off.
But when Tang Qing said it, he agreed.
"Alright, as you wish. Speaking of whistle noodles, it reminds me of your cook," Zheng Lin wiped the corner of his mouth.
Damn it.
So embarrassing.
Having tried delicious foods from all over, he was hooked on the food from Tang Qing’s house, and he hadn’t thought about stopping; it’s not easy for a man to give up on a craving.
Tang Qing chuckled.
They discussed some company issues.
After lunch.
They drank tea for a while.
Then Tang Qing and the others set off. Zheng Lin mentioned he had nothing else planned for the day and was going to join the audience for Tang Qing’s TV debut, which he was very much looking forward to.
...
In 2006.
CCTV’s new building in Chaoyang District was not yet finished.
They arrived at the old building located in Haidian District.
They entered the compound without obstacles. Tang Qing hadn’t expected that the gatekeeper was on familiar terms with Zheng Lin; it turned out that when Zheng Lin’s grandfather worked at CCTV, this kid used to cause a lot of trouble.
"This is the CCTV building; it’s not very pretty, right? Their new building is under construction, but I always feel that building looks strange, yet I can’t quite put my finger on what is odd about it—too spooky."
As soon as they got out of the car,
Zheng Lin began to complain.
Hearing this,
Tang Qing recalled the Underpants Building and couldn’t help but want to laugh. Since its completion in 2009, that building had been a popular topic among netizens as an ’iconic building’, but what’s built is built.
"Maybe that’s just art?" Chai Ren said aside.
"Art? Well, I can’t appreciate it, but it does have a unique characteristic. At least no similar architecture exists domestically. I still have my reservations," Zheng Lin snorted.
"Let’s go, it’s almost time for our appointment," prompted Tang Qing.
Earlier on the road,
they were briefly stuck in traffic.
"Alright."
Zheng Lin led the way.
First, they met with a deputy director who greeted them with a smile. Upon hearing that Chai Ren and Zheng Lin wanted to be a part of the audience, he agreed without a second thought—not a big deal.
"I’ll take you to the studio first to get familiar."
Having said that,
the deputy director led them to the studio. By then, Chen Weihong had been preparing for a while there. As a host, he had much more to prepare than the guests.
"Weihong, this is Tang Qing," introduced the deputy director.
Tang Qing extended his hand, smiling, "Hello, Mr. Weihong. I often watch your program; it’s excellent and very insightful." This wasn’t just politeness—Tang Qing had indeed often watched it.
Before Tang Qing was reborn,
this man was still the host of "Dialogue."
Chen Weihong, who was thirty-six, also extended his hand with a smile, graciously saying, "Hello, it’s an honor."
As a host for so many years, he had met every kind of tycoon in the business world. Even with Tang Qing having the number one spot on the list with assets worth billions, Chen Weihong wouldn’t show more smiles than he would to others.
Of course.
Nor would he display the slightest arrogance.
He was already used to remaining calm.
"Weihong, you guys have a good chat first, these two will be in the audience later, and I’ll be busy now; call me if you need anything." The deputy director wasn’t idle, especially since it was Friday and there were many tasks to arrange.
"Okay."
After the deputy director had left.
Chen Weihong led Tang Qing to a corner of the studio, where there was a row of sofas.
"Boss Tang, did you read the questions I sent you yesterday?"
Tang Qing nodded, "I’ve read them, don’t worry."
Chen Weihong thought it was good that he had read them.
He didn’t know about Tang Qing’s "speaking level." If he was asked some slightly more professional questions and couldn’t answer, it would be embarrassing, though he guessed Tang Qing should have memorized them by now.
"Dialogue."
It wasn’t just two people face-to-face talking nonsense.
The positioning of the "Dialogue" show was a high-end elite talk show. The invited guests were all world political figures and industry leaders with strong influential voices.
Except for Tang Qing.
This time, they also invited the presidents of HuaYi and Tangren, two major entertainment groups, as well as some experts, predecessors, and scholars from the movie industry. Precisely because of such positioning, "Dialogue" held a calm tone.
Calm meant that.
The reason for inviting guests was not their net worth, but their industry influence, like the invitation extended to Tang Qing, which wasn’t aimed at asking him stupid questions like ’how did you make so much money.’
Instead, it was due to the requests from the higher-ups and the initial intention of the show.
To provide a platform.
To discuss and showcase the future direction of Huaxia’s TV dramas.
Comet Group’s approach was too successful, propelling Huaxia’s movies to an unprecedented level.
"Dialogue" was about bringing together successful industry insiders to engage in professional exchanges about the industry’s present and future. They would have extended an invitation even if Hurun List had not published and Tang Qing hadn’t been listed.
Now.
It was just about riding the trend.
After all.
It was a show.
They cared about the viewership.
Chen Weihong turned away to attend to his duties, while Tang Qing lounged comfortably with his legs crossed. Lin Jiaxue curiously observed the studio, having never seen how a studio operated despite her age.
"First time on TV, are you nervous?" Chai Ren and Zheng Lin came back after a stroll.
"Why should I be nervous?" Tang Qing smiled.
"True, I may not dare comment on other aspects, but your mentality is extraordinarily good," Chai Ren recalled the two dangerous incidents he had in Africa when he called Tang Qing, who always spoke in this tone.
Confident.
As if everything was under control.
...
As the recording time approached.
The presidents of HuaYi and Tangren walked in.
They had arrived early, reading scripts and chatting in the lounge, thinking they would wait for Tang Qing, but just before the recording, the staff informed them that Tang Qing was sitting in the studio.
So they immediately rushed over.
In the entertainment circle, Tang Qing’s status was lofty. Even though he had few artists, he earned more money in one year than their two companies combined. His international film market position was significantly prominent.
They couldn’t help but admire and respect him.
"Boss Tang, oh, Young Master Zheng is here too."
Upon seeing Zheng Lin, the president of HuaYi’s face changed, and he quickened his pace to jog over.
"President Wang." "President Cai." "..."
After brief introductions.
Knowing that Chai Ren was another shareholder of Comet Group, both presidents got tense, understanding that holding shares similar to Zheng Lin’s was not trivial. Chai Ren’s family primarily focused on mining, and they were strangers to each other.
Without saying much more.
Audience members started to enter the studio one after another for "Dialogue," which mostly invited industry insiders. There were barely any casual spectators, including five or six celebrities Tang Qing was quite familiar with.
Both male and female.
There were veteran actors as well as new generation actors and singers.
