Chapter 12: Entering the entertainment industry?
While he ate and drank, Jiang Bai suddenly recalled something. He cleared his throat and said to the two, "By the way, I have some cash on me right now, and I'm planning to do some business with it. But I have no idea what to do. Do you have any ideas?" This question was mainly directed to Ma Changyang who was an experienced and wealthy businessman.
As for Xu Jie...Well...his opinion was basically negligible. Apart from running the streets, the only business he had was a medium-sized restaurant that had been shut down. Although he was doing quite well for himself and also enjoyed a decent reputation, he wasn't exactly an expert in terms of business.
Moreover, after obtaining the Great World, Jiang Bai was notified by the system that his daily passive prestige income had increased by 3.32 prestige points. The total number of employees at the Great World, including all the working ladies there, were about 300 people, contributing 3.32 prestige points to him on a daily basis. That was why Jiang Bai had decided to start a business.
He could only earn a tiny number of prestige points from each person, but they could add up into a sizable number. Yes, 0.01 prestige points per person was nothing. But what if he had 1,000 people under him? Or 10,000 people? Or perhaps even 100,000 people? They could add up into a huge number.
"Money? In terms of money making, nothing beats prostitution, drug, and gambling. Of course, we will be excluding drug and prostitution, but gambling is still an acceptable business venture. Just look at how well Old Ma is doing. Is there any business better than gambling?" Jiang Bai rolled his eyes the moment he heard Xu Jie's suggestion.
"I don't dabble in crime."
"What about real estate? There's a lot of potential in the real estate industry currently. The market might have looked like it was in a slump the past two years, but after the new government policy announcement this year, house prices have been soaring. And in a metropolis like Tiandu, you stand to gain even more profit."
"In fact, I have been planning to get into real estate myself. If not for the trouble my son has gotten me into, I would have gotten started by now. Brother Jiang, if you are interested, we can work together in a joint partnership. I already have my eyes set on a piece of land and the negotiation process is ongoing. If everything goes smoothly, we stand to earn a decent profit from it. We might not be able to make a lot, but earning several times of profit over our initial investment won't be a problem." Ma Changyang was much more reliable than Xu Jie.
"Oh, I don't have that much money, so I won't be able to get into real estate for now. I'll think about it in the future." It wasn't that Jiang Bai did not look favorably upon the real estate industry. In fact, in his previous life, the real estate industry was one he wanted to get into badly. In Aquamarine's version of China, this industry had just taken off. After the initial hurdle, it was currently on an upward trend and was still far from saturation. Thus, Ma Changyang was right. This was an industry with great prospects.
But unfortunately, Jiang Bai did not have the capital for it. The real estate industry was extremely costly to get into. The money he was about to get from his book was nothing in this industry. And even after including what he could earn from the publishing of his book, he still wouldn't have enough.
Even though Ma Changyang did not seem to mind, Jiang Bai did not intend to rely on him too much. This fellow might seem respectful to him right now, but he was an extremely crafty fellow. Furthermore, he wasn't exactly a clean businessman either as he dabbled in some crimes as well. Thus, Jiang Bai was unwilling to get too involved with this person. Because of that, Jiang Bai rejected the proposal.
"What about an import and export business? Or manufacturing?"
"Restaurant! What do you think of restaurant? I used to do that. I think it's feasible!"
"I think the nightlife industry is a good option. We already have the human capital in form of the Great World. It won't be too hard to open more branches. In any case, the nightlife industry at the Upper East District is still far from market saturation. Even after opening a few branches, the business would still be very good."
"I think the automobile industry is decent as well. In recent years, the number of car owners has been steadily increasing. Selling and repairing vehicles is a decent business idea. I have a contact capable of supplying us with cheap cars straight from the port. You can definitely give this a thought."
The two spoke one after another, giving Jiang Bai numerous ideas.
The suggestions of Ma Changyang were particularly good as he was an old fox of the business world. Although he wasn't fully clean and would use some dirty tricks in his course of business, one couldn't deny that he was indeed a successful businessman. With his shrewd brain, his ideas were naturally more reliable. Most of the businesses he suggested were worth doing. However, Jiang Bai couldn't make up his mind as to what he wanted to do.
"How about making movies? I have a production company as well. Currently, the local movie industry is growing fast. The box office sales are at an all time high, many new celebrities have appeared in recent years, and many investors have also gotten rich off moving movies. As long as you have decent judgment, investing in a movie will make you a decent profit. And if you are lucky enough to get several good scripts and get a few A-list celebrities to star in the movies, getting rich overnight is totally possible. In fact, this was how a friend of mine became rich overnight. I have some connections in the industry as well. So if you are interested, I can give you some help with it." Ma Changyang suggested, seemingly out of nowhere.
Jiang Bai's eyes lit up when he heard that. True! He had no other books to write, but he could try filmmaking instead. After all, he was an avid watcher of TV series and movies in his previous life, and he could still remember everything he had watched clearly. He only needed to learn about filmmaking before he could start recreating those movies he had watched. With his photographic memory, that wouldn't be difficult at all. This was simply the most suitable business venture for him.
Pa!
Jiang Bai slammed his palm on the table, stood up, and said, "Ok! Filmmaking it is, then!"
"Huh? Really?"
Xu Jie was visibly doubtful of that idea. Asking a Grandmaster to make movies? That did not seem to make any sense. Shouldn't a Grandmaster be starting a school and be accepting disciples instead? Or perhaps he could start running the streets, becoming a local tyrant. But filmmaking? That was completely unheard of.
"Right, brother, you have a production company right? Why don't you sell it to me?" Jiang Bai smiled, ignored Xu Jie, and asked Ma Changyang instead.
"Sure. That company was opened by that useless son of mine in the first place anyway. And the reason he had opened the company was so he could find some aspiring actresses to mess around with, so I have never taken that business seriously. If it wasn't for the decent manager we have running the company, it would have gone bankrupt long ago. In fact, I have been thinking of selling it. If you are interested, I will sell it cheap to you. How about a price of two million? You can even take your time with the payment. I don’t mind." Ma Changyang laughed and agreed in a straightforward fashion. He even offered Jiang Bai a super cheap price for it and allowed him to pay at his own schedule.
After all, Ma Changyang had a clear idea on how much money Jiang Bai had presently. He doubted that Jiang Bai could come out with that much cash in such a short period of time. But with the Great World, it's only a matter of time before he had that much cash.
"Alright. Give me your bank account and I will transfer you the money in 10 days. Help me prepare the ownership transfer. I can start anytime." Jiang Bai agreed directly. He would receive over three million from his book in five days. That was enough for him to pay for the production company. As for what to do after getting the company, he would think about it in the future. After all, he would also need some time to get the company in proper order after taking over the ownership.
In any case, Jiang Bai also needed some time to learn about filmmaking. Ever since he had gotten the photographic memory ability, he had been extremely busy and had never gotten the time to take a proper rest. He would take this opportunity to take a small break. It wouldn't be too late to start working again after that.
Chapter 12: Entering the entertainment industry?
While he ate and drank, Jiang Bai suddenly recalled something. He cleared his throat and said to the two, "By the way, I have some cash on me right now, and I'm planning to do some business with it. But I have no idea what to do. Do you have any ideas?" This question was mainly directed to Ma Changyang who was an experienced and wealthy businessman.
As for Xu Jie...Well...his opinion was basically negligible. Apart from running the streets, the only business he had was a medium-sized restaurant that had been shut down. Although he was doing quite well for himself and also enjoyed a decent reputation, he wasn't exactly an expert in terms of business.
Moreover, after obtaining the Great World, Jiang Bai was notified by the system that his daily passive prestige income had increased by 3.32 prestige points. The total number of employees at the Great World, including all the working ladies there, were about 300 people, contributing 3.32 prestige points to him on a daily basis. That was why Jiang Bai had decided to start a business.
He could only earn a tiny number of prestige points from each person, but they could add up into a sizable number. Yes, 0.01 prestige points per person was nothing. But what if he had 1,000 people under him? Or 10,000 people? Or perhaps even 100,000 people? They could add up into a huge number.
"Money? In terms of money making, nothing beats prostitution, drug, and gambling. Of course, we will be excluding drug and prostitution, but gambling is still an acceptable business venture. Just look at how well Old Ma is doing. Is there any business better than gambling?" Jiang Bai rolled his eyes the moment he heard Xu Jie's suggestion.
"I don't dabble in crime."
"What about real estate? There's a lot of potential in the real estate industry currently. The market might have looked like it was in a slump the past two years, but after the new government policy announcement this year, house prices have been soaring. And in a metropolis like Tiandu, you stand to gain even more profit."
"In fact, I have been planning to get into real estate myself. If not for the trouble my son has gotten me into, I would have gotten started by now. Brother Jiang, if you are interested, we can work together in a joint partnership. I already have my eyes set on a piece of land and the negotiation process is ongoing. If everything goes smoothly, we stand to earn a decent profit from it. We might not be able to make a lot, but earning several times of profit over our initial investment won't be a problem." Ma Changyang was much more reliable than Xu Jie.
"Oh, I don't have that much money, so I won't be able to get into real estate for now. I'll think about it in the future." It wasn't that Jiang Bai did not look favorably upon the real estate industry. In fact, in his previous life, the real estate industry was one he wanted to get into badly. In Aquamarine's version of China, this industry had just taken off. After the initial hurdle, it was currently on an upward trend and was still far from saturation. Thus, Ma Changyang was right. This was an industry with great prospects.
But unfortunately, Jiang Bai did not have the capital for it. The real estate industry was extremely costly to get into. The money he was about to get from his book was nothing in this industry. And even after including what he could earn from the publishing of his book, he still wouldn't have enough.
Even though Ma Changyang did not seem to mind, Jiang Bai did not intend to rely on him too much. This fellow might seem respectful to him right now, but he was an extremely crafty fellow. Furthermore, he wasn't exactly a clean businessman either as he dabbled in some crimes as well. Thus, Jiang Bai was unwilling to get too involved with this person. Because of that, Jiang Bai rejected the proposal.
"What about an import and export business? Or manufacturing?"
"Restaurant! What do you think of restaurant? I used to do that. I think it's feasible!"
"I think the nightlife industry is a good option. We already have the human capital in form of the Great World. It won't be too hard to open more branches. In any case, the nightlife industry at the Upper East District is still far from market saturation. Even after opening a few branches, the business would still be very good."
"I think the automobile industry is decent as well. In recent years, the number of car owners has been steadily increasing. Selling and repairing vehicles is a decent business idea. I have a contact capable of supplying us with cheap cars straight from the port. You can definitely give this a thought."
The two spoke one after another, giving Jiang Bai numerous ideas.
The suggestions of Ma Changyang were particularly good as he was an old fox of the business world. Although he wasn't fully clean and would use some dirty tricks in his course of business, one couldn't deny that he was indeed a successful businessman. With his shrewd brain, his ideas were naturally more reliable. Most of the businesses he suggested were worth doing. However, Jiang Bai couldn't make up his mind as to what he wanted to do.
"How about making movies? I have a production company as well. Currently, the local movie industry is growing fast. The box office sales are at an all time high, many new celebrities have appeared in recent years, and many investors have also gotten rich off moving movies. As long as you have decent judgment, investing in a movie will make you a decent profit. And if you are lucky enough to get several good scripts and get a few A-list celebrities to star in the movies, getting rich overnight is totally possible. In fact, this was how a friend of mine became rich overnight. I have some connections in the industry as well. So if you are interested, I can give you some help with it." Ma Changyang suggested, seemingly out of nowhere.
Jiang Bai's eyes lit up when he heard that. True! He had no other books to write, but he could try filmmaking instead. After all, he was an avid watcher of TV series and movies in his previous life, and he could still remember everything he had watched clearly. He only needed to learn about filmmaking before he could start recreating those movies he had watched. With his photographic memory, that wouldn't be difficult at all. This was simply the most suitable business venture for him.
Pa!
Jiang Bai slammed his palm on the table, stood up, and said, "Ok! Filmmaking it is, then!"
"Huh? Really?"
Xu Jie was visibly doubtful of that idea. Asking a Grandmaster to make movies? That did not seem to make any sense. Shouldn't a Grandmaster be starting a school and be accepting disciples instead? Or perhaps he could start running the streets, becoming a local tyrant. But filmmaking? That was completely unheard of.
"Right, brother, you have a production company right? Why don't you sell it to me?" Jiang Bai smiled, ignored Xu Jie, and asked Ma Changyang instead.
"Sure. That company was opened by that useless son of mine in the first place anyway. And the reason he had opened the company was so he could find some aspiring actresses to mess around with, so I have never taken that business seriously. If it wasn't for the decent manager we have running the company, it would have gone bankrupt long ago. In fact, I have been thinking of selling it. If you are interested, I will sell it cheap to you. How about a price of two million? You can even take your time with the payment. I don’t mind." Ma Changyang laughed and agreed in a straightforward fashion. He even offered Jiang Bai a super cheap price for it and allowed him to pay at his own schedule.
After all, Ma Changyang had a clear idea on how much money Jiang Bai had presently. He doubted that Jiang Bai could come out with that much cash in such a short period of time. But with the Great World, it's only a matter of time before he had that much cash.
"Alright. Give me your bank account and I will transfer you the money in 10 days. Help me prepare the ownership transfer. I can start anytime." Jiang Bai agreed directly. He would receive over three million from his book in five days. That was enough for him to pay for the production company. As for what to do after getting the company, he would think about it in the future. After all, he would also need some time to get the company in proper order after taking over the ownership.
In any case, Jiang Bai also needed some time to learn about filmmaking. Ever since he had gotten the photographic memory ability, he had been extremely busy and had never gotten the time to take a proper rest. He would take this opportunity to take a small break. It wouldn't be too late to start working again after that.
