Anime Production, Starting by Healing the Audience: Part 11

Fang Zheng could only roll his eyes speechlessly. So she was being generous with someone else's money.

Using someone else's treat to curry favor with him and fight for the job of voicing Shiru—this woman really had some brains when she put her mind to it.

Fang Zheng was rather curious about the friend Yang Li had mentioned. He was absolutely certain that the other person's purpose in treating them tonight was him. Otherwise, Yang Li would not have brought up this friend from the very beginning.

"Fang Zheng, I'm telling you, you should thank me. Not only did I agree to do Shiru's voice work for you, I even found you an extremely capable employee." As she spoke, Yang Li gave Fang Zheng a mysterious look, her face brimming with excitement.

Fang Zheng was dumbfounded by Yang Li's words.

Are you sure you weren't the one shamelessly begging me to give you Shiru's voice acting job?

And besides, whether an employee was capable needed to be judged by him, the boss. It was not enough for her to simply say they were capable.

The anime industry differed from traditional industries. Senior executives from major corporations were not necessarily suited to managing an anime company. That was what made ACG unique!

"Yes, yes, thank you, Miss Yang~"

"Tch! So perfunctory!"

Hearing the obvious insincerity in Fang Zheng's tone, Yang Li rolled her eyes at him. Just as she was about to say something else, the elevator doors opened with a ding.

Clearly, they had arrived at the floor they needed.

Seeing this, Yang Li could only swallow the words at the tip of her tongue and lead Fang Zheng toward a private room.

Knock, knock, knock~!

"Come in~"

The moment Yang Li pushed open the door, she rushed inside and threw herself into the arms of the woman opposite her.

"Siyu, I missed you so much~"

Big Shot Fang's fans, please support him~~~~~~~~~*

"Hello, my name is Zhang Siyu. I'm here to apply for the position of CEO at Mr. Fang's company."

Fang Zheng raised an eyebrow as he looked at the beautiful woman before him. With her short hair, she appeared sharp and capable. Every gesture carried a powerful presence, and she had gone straight for the position of company CEO the moment she opened her mouth. She was clearly a formidable woman.

"Hello, I'm Fang Zheng, chairman of ACG Culture Company."

Fang Zheng shook her hand, releasing it after the briefest touch.

Seeing that they had finished introducing themselves, Yang Li quickly invited them both to sit.

Fang Zheng narrowed his eyes at Zhang Siyu and asked, "I'll be frank. The company has only just been established, and the CEO position is still vacant. Since Miss Zhang wants that position, you'll need to prove you deserve it."

Zhang Siyu nodded as though it were only natural. Fang Zheng shot Yang Li a suspicious look, as if asking whether her friend was reliable.

"Miss Zhang, what do you think about the anime industry?"

Seeing Yang Li pretend not to understand his look, Fang Zheng rolled his eyes and asked directly.

Although Zhang Siyu was Yang Li's friend, ACG Culture Company was also Fang Zheng's entire fortune. He would not hire someone useless just because of personal connections.

His goal was to promote ACG culture across the world and create a golden age for it. He did not want to make trouble for himself right from the start.

Seated opposite Fang Zheng, Zhang Siyu lightly brushed back the hair by her ear. She knew Fang Zheng was testing her. Though she had not known him for long, she could tell from the smallest details that he was a man of strong principles.

"Anime is undoubtedly an emerging industry, and Director Fang was the first to propose the concept. I don't know much about anime production itself, since I studied neither drawing nor creative work, but management."

Zhang Siyu looked up at Fang Zheng without trying to hide the fact that she was not proficient in anime production. An ordinary person applying for a position at an anime company would probably do everything possible to conceal such a weakness.

That alone showed how different Zhang Siyu was. Strong, independent—if someone like her was used well, her value to the company would be immeasurable.

"But I do know one thing: Director Fang has already touched certain people's interests."

Everyone had their own specialty. She was not skilled in anime production, but she was highly capable when it came to management and particularly adept at market analysis.

"How so?"

Fang Zheng looked at Zhang Siyu curiously. He knew that promoting the development of anime would inevitably impact the traditional film and television industry, and that ACG Community was also snatching users from other video sites. Still, he wanted to hear Zhang Siyu's opinion.

"Does Director Fang remember that article published by TT's vice president?"

Zhang Siyu took out her phone, scrolled through it, and showed Fang Zheng a screenshot. "They invited Director Fang to join their pan-entertainment plan. I assume Director Fang was unwilling?"

After speaking, Zhang Siyu fixed her beautiful eyes on Fang Zheng. When she saw him nod noncommittally, she smiled as well.

Through her brief interactions with Fang Zheng, she had already noticed that they were similar in some ways. For example, neither liked being controlled by others, and both had their own principles.

"But has Director Fang considered this? TT Group is a colossal entity. After refusing them, can you withstand the capital pressure they might bring against you?"

Fang Zheng knew very well how terrifying the power of capital could be. Money was not omnipotent, but most of the time, money could make even the impossible happen.

By this point, Fang Zheng had begun to see Zhang Siyu in a new light. She truly was a strong businesswoman who dared to ask for the CEO position the moment she opened her mouth. Her sharp vision was genuinely startling.

"Then how does Miss Zhang think this should be resolved?"

Fang Zheng looked at Zhang Siyu, wanting to hear her thoughts.

"It's simple. There are three aspects." Zhang Siyu barely needed to think before answering. "First, ACG rose through anime, and Director Fang is currently the undisputed number one figure in anime. Therefore, ACG must always rely on high-quality anime works. That is ACG's foundation!"

Fang Zheng had built his career through anime, so anime works were naturally his foundation. That was also his original intention in promoting ACG culture.

"Second, I don't know what Director Fang's financial situation is like, nor do I know whether you can withstand the pressure of capital. But if it were me, I would seek cooperation with the government and request official support. After all, Xia Country currently places great importance on the cultural economy."

As she spoke, Zhang Siyu picked up the coffee on the table, took a light sip, and refreshed herself.

"And the third?"

Fang Zheng looked at Zhang Siyu curiously. To be honest, she had given him quite a huge surprise. He was determined to have this woman.

"Third, develop the anime economy." Zhang Siyu set down her coffee and said, "When stars from traditional film and television dramas use something, the public rushes to buy it. If celebrities can do that, why can't anime?"

At this point, Zhang Siyu leaned forward slightly and stared at Fang Zheng. "Therefore, ACG must establish its reputation from the very beginning!"

The private room fell silent. Yang Li blinked. She was not stupid, but she was not interested in these topics and had not listened carefully.

But Fang Zheng was different. He truly felt like he had found a treasure.

The anime economy was naturally nothing new to him. Selling merchandise, fan creations, and figurines all fell under the anime economy.

But Zhang Siyu did not know any of that. Anime was a completely new thing to her, yet she had thought of this in such a short time. It showed just how precise her vision was.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

After listening to Zhang Siyu, Fang Zheng applauded sincerely.

"Miss Zhang, ACG Culture Company wholeheartedly welcomes you aboard. The CEO position is yours!"

Fang Zheng stood and extended his hand toward Zhang Siyu.

If their previous handshake had merely been a polite greeting, this one demonstrated Fang Zheng's sincerity and respect for Zhang Siyu.

"It is an honor to join Director Fang's ACG Culture Company. I will not disappoint you."

Hearing this, Zhang Siyu smiled. She stood and shook Fang Zheng's hand as well, after which they both sat back down.

"Director Fang, how many employees does the company currently have?"

"By the way, where is the company located? I can start work tomorrow."

"Also, I think we can begin negotiating with the government right away. The sooner we handle this, the better."

"And..."

Zhang Siyu was clearly both a strong businesswoman and a workaholic. She had only just been allowed to join the company, yet she immediately entered work mode, bombarding Fang Zheng with questions and even forgetting about ordering food.

"Ahem, well..." Fang Zheng felt somewhat embarrassed by Zhang Siyu's questions. After coughing awkwardly twice, he said, "How about we eat first and discuss everything tomorrow?"

Fang Zheng had no choice. Seeing Zhang Siyu's soaring enthusiasm for work, he could hardly pour cold water over her head.

Could he just tell her that the company currently had only two people? One was him, the chairman, and the other was her, the CEO.

What if Zhang Siyu found out he was a commander without troops and decided to quit?

Where would he find another shrewd and capable general manager like her?

"I hadn't considered that."

Zhang Siyu pressed the bell on the table, and a server soon entered the room.

Then... then Fang Zheng could only stare blankly as Yang Li ordered one thing after another, showing none of the restraint a young woman was supposed to have.

"Can this woman really voice Shiru?"

At that moment, Fang Zheng felt that he might not have thought things through. Should he look for someone else instead?

After eating and drinking their fill, Fang Zheng was sent back to his residential complex by Yang Li and returned to his room alone.

"Now that the PV is finished, it's time to upload it."

He acted immediately, taking out his phone, logging into his Weibo account, and posting an update.

"Good evening, fans and viewers. The PV for my new work, 'Akame ga Kill!,' has been completed and uploaded to ACG Community. Everyone is welcome to go watch it~"

Fang Zheng was currently one of Weibo's key figures of interest. The instant he posted the update, Weibo Official gave it a direct push notification.

It was also past nine in the evening, when many people were still awake and plenty were browsing Weibo. So the moment the official notification went out, Fang Zheng's Weibo exploded.

"Holy crap, Big Shot Fang showed up!"

"Hubby, what's a PV? Explain it to me~"

"Who cares what it is? Hubby's new work definitely won't disappoint~!"

"Hehe, I just opened my phone and saw a screen full of bitches trying to steal my husband!"

"..."

The buzz on Weibo came quickly and faded just as fast. It did not last long. As for the reason, one only needed to look at the surging number of users on ACG Community to understand what had happened.