Yuan Fenghui, a seasoned veteran in the industry, had accurately predicted Zhang Yangning’s reaction.
The opportunity Yuan Fenghui offered didn’t take Zhang Yangning long to accept.
Tianjiao’s first drama sold for 70 million. How bad could their second drama be?
Playing a supporting role in such a production was the best path Zhang Yangning could envision for herself at the moment. She expressed her desire to focus on singing to Yuan Fenghui, who suggested she take an indirect route to achieve her goals.
Even if Zhang Yangning jumped ship to Tianjiao now, Yuan Fenghui wouldn’t release an album for her. The music market for the next year or two would be dominated by this year’s talent show winners. The popularity of the first Super Girl contestants paled in comparison to this year’s. Several high-profile contestants from this year’s show were set to release albums in 2005 and 2006. Why would Zhang Yangning try to compete in that crowded space?
“To be honest, not just you, even Xu Mei couldn’t break through. Li Mengjiao might just barely manage,” Yuan Fenghui said.
Even Li Mengjiao had to rely on acting in dramas to maintain her popularity. What did Zhang Yangning have to feel aggrieved about?
Good songs were rare and hard to come by. Some singers, despite years in the industry, only had one hit song, living off its success for a lifetime. Zhang Yangning hadn’t yet found her destined hit.
Li Mengjiao was getting close. Songs like “Sweet and Sour” and “Sing If You Want” had gained decent traction, but this wasn’t enough for Yuan Fenghui’s ambitions. She wanted a superstar, not for Li Mengjiao to remain labelled as a “talent show singer” in the entertainment industry.
Zhang Yangning needed to patiently wait for her chance, while Li Mengjiao had to gradually shed the influence of her talent show origins.
Yuan Fenghui had a plan in mind.
As for whether Zhang Yangning should jump ship immediately, Yuan Fenghui didn’t care much. Even if Zhang Yangning stayed with Mr. Guan’s company, Tianjiao could still invite her to act in their dramas. Zhang Yangning wasn’t a priority for Mr. Guan’s company, so they’d likely be thrilled to have her earn money elsewhere.
Of course, if Zhang Yangning became famous through acting, Mr. Guan probably wouldn’t let her go.
If Zhang Yangning wanted to switch companies, she’d need to do it before starring in Tianjiao’s drama.
Yuan Fenghui kindly advised Zhang Yangning: “Actually, staying with Mr. Guan isn’t a bad idea. Once you gain popularity, Mr. Guan will release a second album for you. Don’t feel guilty towards me. Inviting you to act is just repaying a favour. I’m someone who keeps debts and gratitude clear.”
Mr. Guan releasing an album for her?
Forget it!
Zhang Yangning didn’t believe Mr. Guan would produce an album for her. He’d only make her perform endlessly at commercial events, like Xu Mei.
Mr. Guan’s company was clearly focused on quick profits. Talent shows were held year after year, with new contestants rising each time. Developing a singer required resources, and Mr. Guan didn’t have the energy for that. Why bother when he could keep profiting from new, popular contestants every year?
Among the first batch of talent show contestants signed by Mr. Guan, only Xu Mei had made some waves. The others, including Zhang Yangning, would quickly fade into obscurity if they didn’t take initiative to save themselves.
“Teacher Yuan, don’t worry. I’ll handle the contract termination myself and won’t cause you any trouble,” Zhang Yangning said.
Zhang Yangning wasn’t banking on the newly established Tianjiao Film and Television. She valued Yuan Fenghui’s personal capabilities.
Even if Yuan Fenghui’s focus was inevitably on Li Mengjiao, any small bit of attention she gave Zhang Yangning would be far better than Mr. Guan’s support.
Yuan Fenghui planned career paths for her artists. Mr. Guan, on the other hand, was a company leader who rose through his wife’s influence, skilled at scheming and flattery but terrible at building stars.
Zhang Yangning, this young girl, was quite perceptive, Yuan Fenghui thought, nodding in approval.
Poaching talent was fine, but Tianjiao wouldn’t spend a fortune to buy out Zhang Yangning’s contract.
If Zhang Yangning chose to join, it showed her foresight.
If she didn’t, Yuan Fenghui could easily find other fresh-faced girls.
When Wen Ying learned of Yuan Fenghui’s conversation with Zhang Yangning, she stayed silent for a long time, so long that Yuan Fenghui couldn’t help but ask for her thoughts. Wen Ying finally blurted out: “With Zhang Yangning coming to Tianjiao, you’re acting like a non-committal, non-rejecting, irresponsible playboy.”
Yuan Fenghui mulled over Wen Ying’s description and acknowledged her literary talent: “Well summed up!”
Such was the harsh reality of the adult world.
Yuan Fenghui was lenient with Li Mengjiao, even falling out with Mr. Guan to join Tianjiao and secure opportunities for her, because she saw value in Li Mengjiao.
Not just commercial value, but the irreplaceable value that could fulfil Yuan Fenghui’s career ambitions.
In contrast, Zhang Yangning was currently begging for Yuan Fenghui’s help and was dispensable to her. Naturally, Yuan Fenghui adopted the playboy’s “three no’s” approach: non-committal, non-rejecting, non-responsible.
Wen Ying verbally criticized but inwardly agreed with Yuan Fenghui’s approach.
If Yuan Fenghui actually paid a fortune to free Zhang Yangning, that would be utterly foolish.
“Value” was the foundation of one’s standing in society. Without value, how could Wen Ying earn a part-time salary from Tianjiao each month or sell a script for 500,000?
Zhang Yangning’s contract termination was swift and low-key, a true “amicable parting” with Mr. Guan. She showed great sincerity in negotiations from the start, prepared to pay a seven-figure sum to buy out her contract.
For the first batch of talent show contestants like Zhang Yangning and Xu Mei, Mr. Guan’s company had stipulated penalties for breach of contract.
If Xu Mei wanted to leave, Mr. Guan would have demanded she pay the full penalty.
Zhang Yangning, however, was dispensable to Mr. Guan now. His focus was on the high-popularity contestants who made it to this year’s national finals, ready to start earning money for him. Zhang Yangning, last year’s third-place finisher, was now irrelevant.
Compared to Xu Mei, Zhang Yangning fell far short.
Xu Mei, to stay relevant, accepted the company’s endless commercial gigs and even dated Young Master Cao. Zhang Yangning, however, was laid-back.
Moreover, Zhang Yangning seemed to come from a well-off family, treating the talent show and signing with the company like a casual adventure, unwilling to sacrifice her principles for fame.
Since Zhang Yangning politely approached the company to discuss termination and was willing to pay, Mr. Guan didn’t make things difficult.
Mr. Guan asked about her next steps, and Zhang Yangning half-truthfully said she wanted to take a break.
“I might travel around, visit different cities, experience their cultures, and see if I can find inspiration for creating.”
Did she feel the company was holding her back?
Mr. Guan shook his head inwardly, thinking Zhang Yangning was indulging in whimsy.
In this day and age, who still focused solely on creating?
Many so-called singer-songwriters were just packaged. Playing the guitar didn’t mean they could compose. Companies bought songs and labelled them as the singer’s “original work” to build their image.
And so, Mr. Guan and Zhang Yangning parted ways.
On the day Zhang Yangning moved out of the company dorm, some peers from her batch probed whether she had a new agency, while others made snide remarks about her being naive and wealthy. Zhang Yangning ignored them all, picked up her suitcase, and left.
She hadn’t lied to Mr. Guan. She was indeed heading to Chengdu to explore new horizons.
It wasn’t until Yuan Fenghui publicly interacted with Zhang Yangning at the TV station that Mr. Guan learned she had left to join Tianjiao!
Rumour had it Mr. Guan was so furious he smashed three ashtrays in his office.
Even the steadily rising ratings of *Jade Forest* couldn’t cheer him up. He wanted nothing more than to chew Yuan Fenghui up and spit her out!
Equally unhappy was Editor-in-Chief Han.
Fifteen days after Han Qin received a court summons, the trial finally began!
