“Teacher Yuan, let me think about it.”
Xie Qian neither outright refused nor immediately agreed.
By nature, Xie Qian was very independent in his decisions. The film industry was new territory for him, and while he’d humbly seek Yuan Fenghui’s advice, he wouldn’t follow it blindly.
Whether to take Xu Mei at Jiaxin couldn’t be decided based on Yuan Fenghui’s word alone. Even setting aside personal preferences, Xie Qian needed to confirm Xu Mei’s true value.
As a public figure, Xu Mei’s career wasn’t a secret; a little digging revealed most of it.
Ordinary people might see it as gossip, but Gong Sheng, after compiling Xu Mei’s news, was thrilled. “Boss, you’ve got a good eye! Xu Mei definitely has commercial value! Her ambition is written all over her face, and she’s resilient. Early in her career, her company booked her for countless commercial gigs—most people couldn’t handle it, but she powered through every single one. She was even a student at a top Shanghai university… Boss, is her current company clueless? Why aren’t they investing resources to promote her?”
If a company truly backed her, Xu Mei wouldn’t need to stir up messy scandals for attention. That’s the agency’s job, not the artist’s! Why sign with an agency if you’re doing it all yourself?
A company with a plan wouldn’t let an artist drop out of school mid-way!
In an industry where celebrities often lack high education, Xu Mei’s time at a prestigious non-arts university was a perfect promotional hook, yet her company didn’t capitalize on it!
A female artist like Xu Mei shouldn’t be exploited for short-term gains. If Gong Sheng were managing her, he’d send her back to school for further training—investing in an artist and earning profits aren’t mutually exclusive. No training, no bigger earnings!
Gong Sheng felt a pang of regret.
Even if Xu Mei could resume her studies, she’d missed her chance at that elite university. After years in the entertainment industry’s ups and downs, she no longer had a student’s mindset. Retaking the college entrance exam for another top school was unrealistic. An arts academy with lower academic requirements would be feasible, given her foundation.
Xu Mei hadn’t signed with Jiaxin yet, but Gong Sheng was already planning her future. Xie Qian could tell Gong Sheng was very pleased with her. After some thought, Xie Qian handed the matter to him: “You handle Xu Mei’s negotiations. Jiaxin can cover her breach-of-contract penalty.”
Personally, Xie Qian didn’t like Xu Mei; she’d been quite extreme for a time.
But in business terms, setting aside personal feelings, Xu Mei was a great fit for Jiaxin, highly cost-effective.
Whether Jiaxin truly belonged to Xie Qian also tied to his bet with Xie Jinghu. Grooming new talent was too slow; Xu Mei was a quicker solution.
Jiaxin’s cash flow was limited, but covering Xu Mei’s penalty was doable. Gong Sheng heard her current company took a hefty cut from artists, and Xu Mei alone might not afford the penalty.
What a tragedy!
No wonder the champion, runner-up, and third-place winners from her cohort had all jumped ship.
Gong Sheng was confident in Xie Qian’s assignment.
Xie Qian wouldn’t mention Xu Mei without reason. She wanted to leave, Jiaxin showed sincerity, and both sides would click. Gong Sheng was seasoned at this.
…
Gong Sheng was eager to poach from Manager Guan’s camp.
Manager Guan was clueless.
Since “Love Cruise” ratings slipped on July 6, they dropped again on the 7th. The 8th and 9th were the weekend, with other programs scheduled, so everyone paused their battle.
While Gong Sheng planned to dig at Manager Guan’s foundation, Manager Guan was plotting to blow up Tianjiao’s fortress!
Yu Tianlin wasn’t easily fooled anymore, so Liang Dan had to find other ways.
For secrecy, Liang Dan kept Cao Bo, Yu Tianlin, and Hu Man in the dark. Only she and Manager Guan knew the full plan.
On Sunday night, Liang Dan signaled Manager Guan to act.
That evening, as Manager Guan directed an army of paid trolls, Gong Sheng quietly flew from Shanghai to Hunan for his first meeting with Xu Mei.
“Miss Xu, we’re very sincere.”
In a quiet café, Gong Sheng handed Xu Mei his business card.
A seasoned dealmaker, Gong Sheng, now Jiaxin’s general manager, flew to meet Xu Mei and started by offering to cover her contract penalty—a clear sign of sincerity.
Since entering the industry, Xu Mei had only been with Manager Guan’s company. She didn’t know other companies, but Manager Guan’s… Signing was her only shot at a good ranking in the competition; she never had a real choice.
After signing, the promised “full support” never materialized. The company squeezed every ounce of value from her!
Burned once, Xu Mei was cautious about jumping ship. If she chose wrong and wasted years at Jiaxin, she’d likely have to quit the industry.
Though Yuan Fenghui facilitated the connection, Xu Mei grilled Gong Sheng about her post-jump arrangements.
The penalty payment was one sign of sincerity.
Gong Sheng’s initial plan, especially sending her back to school for vocal training, made Xu Mei’s heart race.
She hadn’t forgotten her promise with Qin Yi to invite him to her concert one day.
“I debuted in a singing competition but never studied vocal techniques systematically. If Jiaxin sends me for training, I want it to be in vocals. Also, you must ensure my current popularity doesn’t fade!”
Excited as she was, Xu Mei stayed practical.
She wasn’t easily swayed by empty promises anymore. She wanted concrete terms written into a contract.
Useless bosses preached passion; Xu Mei didn’t want passion—she wanted a solid, enforceable contract!
“Miss Xu’s caution is wise.”
Gong Sheng wasn’t annoyed, still smiling. “If you join Jiaxin, I’d hope for at least a five-year contract, ideally eight. For a five-year deal, we’d invest in your training for the first two years, and you’d repay the company in the latter three. For an eight-year deal, we’d extend the training period. As for maintaining your popularity, I’d love to guarantee it, but we both know nothing’s permanent in this industry. Audiences and fans change tastes. Take the recent dramas: without ‘Galaxy and You’, ‘Love Cruise’ wouldn’t be getting slammed so hard.”
“Love Cruise” had plenty of plot holes.
But that wasn’t a big deal.
Idol dramas always have flaws, yet others didn’t get trashed this badly.
“Love Cruise” was unlucky to clash with “Galaxy and You”, whose tight plot blurred reality and fiction. A drama that could’ve scored a 7 now barely got a 3!
Gong Sheng even suspected this ratings battle might shift the mainland’s youth idol drama market. Companies following old formulas couldn’t keep up with changing audience tastes.
To stay popular, artists had to keep improving their craft.
Acting skills were the baseline, but they also needed sharp script-picking instincts, a strong mindset, and good communication with the company to adjust career plans based on market trends.
Companies and artists both needed to spot high-potential projects.
Mindset was crucial. If an artist’s popularity dipped and they cracked under pressure before the company did, their path would only veer further off course.
Good communication was foundational, built on trust. The company must trust the artist, and the artist the company. Disagreements weren’t the issue; unresolved conflicts were.
Xu Mei’s issues with Manager Guan’s company had piled up bit by bit. Gong Sheng didn’t want to repeat that mistake.
His advice was fair, and Xu Mei nodded slightly.
Encouraged by her response, Gong Sheng added, “We’re a film company with projects every year, prioritizing our own artists. You don’t need to worry much, Miss Xu. I can guarantee you one role in our in-house production and one external project each year—that’s two roles secured. As for albums, Jiaxin isn’t music-focused, but we’re willing to connect you with major record labels. Regarding popularity, frankly, it’s normal for stars to rise and fall. My advice is not to obsess over short-term fame but to plan for the long haul.”
Gong Sheng urged Xu Mei to relax. Jiaxin wasn’t rushing to milk her value; she could focus on improving herself first.
Having been burned by a shady company, Xu Mei could hardly believe such kindness. “Jiaxin has no demands of me?”
She was once bitten, twice shy.
Gong Sheng suppressed a chuckle and said seriously, “Of course we do. I’ve outlined what you’d gain by joining Jiaxin. Now, your obligations. My first requirement is that you end your engagement with Cao Bo.”
A trashy engagement for some exposure.
But so what?
Gong Sheng wanted to know if Xu Mei aimed to be a scandal-driven artist or a true talent!
