Free Web NovelChapter 268: Chapter 208: Youngest in Age, Highest in Status
"Voting will end in 24 hours. Anyone who hasn’t voted will be considered to have abstained. Time is money, and efficiency is life, so please take this seriously, everyone."
Tsk.
’This is... quite efficient.’
Sensing the atmosphere, Lin Chu shook his head with a smile and casually typed a message: "Lin Chu, 24 years old. I don’t want to be class president. I have too much going on in my daily life and want to focus my main energy and time on my studies. So please, go easy on me and don’t vote for me."
Only kids chase after empty titles and contributing to the collective.
They were all a bunch of old dogs now. There’s no point in doing something if there’s nothing to gain from it.
For him, time and energy were the most precious commodities.
Of course, his status also played a major role.
It didn’t matter to him whether he was the class president or not. It was better to leave the opportunity to someone else.
Lu Ming sent him a private message: "Damn, you’re showing off again! So damn smooth!"
Lin Chu: "Heh, you should run. I’ll rally votes for you."
Lu Ming: "I’m not doing it either. It’s exhausting. I’d rather just kick back and slack off."
He didn’t have any particular desire to climb the ladder anyway. The biggest backer in the class was his own buddy, so why would he want to be class president?
Lin Chu: Slacker.
But he didn’t press the issue. Let him be.
That was just Lu Ming’s personality.
...
"Hello everyone, my name is Li Fangfei. I was previously an actress and have been in seven movies and twenty-six television series. Some of you may have seen my work, but please don’t treat me like a star. I’m just an ordinary student now, here to further my studies and improve my knowledge and skills."
"I’m applying to run for class president, or vice president. I have a strong sense of responsibility and am quite meticulous. My connections in the business world are decent, and I hope to make my own small contribution to the class and serve everyone well. Thank you all. (cute smile)"
The renowned actress, Li Fangfei, wrote with a very humble tone in the group chat.
To Lin Chu, a position like this was barely worth considering, and to Lu Ming, it was completely worthless. But for most people in the class, it held significant prestige.
After all, everyone was here to further their studies and make friends. In any small group, the administrator naturally held special privileges. It was a good way to gild their resumes.
Her fame and influence were quite high among the group, at least in the top five.
As soon as she sent the message, many people immediately voiced their support.
They chatted enthusiastically.
Lin Chu watched for a while before losing interest. He didn’t say anything.
Lurking!
The signature move of a tycoon in a group chat.
...
"Hou, how are the short-form dramas coming along?"
However, the mention of Li Fangfei’s identity as an actress had triggered a new train of thought for Lin Chu. He suddenly thought of Hou Chengjin and the short-form dramas that were being filmed.
He had invested over ten million in them, after all.
Lin Chu already had some understanding of the production process for these dramas. Filming was basically completed in a week, two at most. About enough time had passed, so it should be time to see the results.
Lin Chu wasn’t overly concerned about the return on this investment.
But it was still money he had put up, so he had to check in on it.
Hou Chengjin replied quickly: "Are you free? I’ll video call you."
"Sure."
He replied with a single word, and Hou Chengjin’s video call came through.
He looked terrible. His hair was a mess, with no gel in it, and as he sat in front of his computer, he looked completely dejected.
Uh...
Seeing this, Lin Chu could guess that things probably weren’t looking good.
But that was normal.
The content creation industry had always been a winner-take-all game. The Pyramid was tall with a very small peak, and most people were just cannon fodder.
"President Lin, first, I have to apologize. All five dramas have finished filming, but one of them was banned. It’s a reincarnation-themed story, and they’re not allowed to be released online anymore. The regulation just came out."
"This one’s on me. It was a failure to properly assess the subject matter."
Hou Chengjin’s expression was grim, and he spoke in a low voice.
Lin Chu just tsked, his expression calm. "Keep talking."
"Of the remaining four, we’ve started running ads for all of them. We spent one million on each to start. The first-day revenues were 60,000, 80,000, 170,000, and 180,000, respectively."
"Judging from the first-day data, they’ve basically... flopped."
THUMP!
He slammed his fist on the table, his eyes showing the gloom and madness of a defeated man.
The data said it all.
This was clearly a failed project. It meant all the money, blood, sweat, and tears invested during this time had gone down the drain.
What was even harder to bear was betraying that trust.
Lin Chu’s 12 million, Zhao Rong’s 6 million, and his own 10 million.
Lin Chu’s investment had been quite "proper." It had an element of friendship to it; he hadn’t been like those vampire investment firms that demand unlimited liability agreements and guaranteed rates of return.
But because of that, this failure made Hou Chengjin feel even greater pressure.
He had failed to deliver the first time he was trusted. There likely wouldn’t be a second time.
Looking at his state, Lin Chu thought for a moment before asking, "So what’s your plan now?"
Lin Chu didn’t offer any words of comfort or encouragement. There was no need, nor was it necessary.
When you’ve screwed up, words like that are meaningless.
Of course, Lin Chu didn’t blame him either.
He had made the decision to invest himself.
Everyone has to take responsibility for their own decisions.
Twelve million wasn’t a big deal to him anyway. It wasn’t a major blow at all.
"We still have over six million in the account, enough to produce at least two more dramas. My plan is to concentrate our resources and spend all this money on a single production. I’ll try to create a blockbuster and see if we can cover the losses from the first few. Of course, I can’t guarantee the result right now. If it still doesn’t work out... then I’ll have no face left to show. I’d have to atone with my life."
