Yuan Fenghui was momentarily speechless, caught off guard by Mr. Liu’s retort.
Negotiations require skill.
Xu Mei working for free showed her foolishness, but if Li Mengjiao did the same, it would mean Yuan Fenghui was the fool.
If Mr. Liu was truly torn between Xu Mei and Li Mengjiao, Yuan Fenghui would’ve been the first to offer no payment, not Liang Dan!
Being the spokesperson for this year’s talent show and shooting an ad for a dairy giant was such a golden opportunity, some newcomers would pay to do it, and Yuan Fenghui wasn’t shortsighted.
But now that Mr. Liu had clearly chosen Li Mengjiao, the payment could still be negotiated.
For the dairy group Mr. Liu represented, the endorsement fee was a drop in the bucket, they could pluck a hair and it’d be enough to overwhelm Li Mengjiao.
But for Li Mengjiao, this fee was crucial.
Unlike Xu Mei, who had an established market value for performances and acting roles, Li Mengjiao was different.
This fool never did commercial gigs, so the industry couldn’t price her.
Her first album was pulled from shelves.
As for acting, she worked for her own company to save production costs, her first role’s pay was so low, in Li Zhentao’s words, just pocket money.
So, this endorsement was Li Mengjiao’s first real external quote, earning someone else’s money!
The fee was split—part for Li Mengjiao, part for Tianjiao Films, and naturally, part for Yuan Fenghui’s personal income.
As Yuan Fenghui pondered, Wen Ying suddenly spoke up, “Xu Mei isn’t suitable for your brand, so even if she worked for free or paid to do your ad, you wouldn’t agree, right, Mr. Liu? Mengjiao’s popularity may be low now, but she’s building momentum, she’s only in her teens and has hitched a ride on your brand’s big ship, her future is limitless, when your group dominates the domestic dairy market, Mengjiao might grow into an A-list star alongside your brand, money isn’t the point, the point is you’re her mentor!”
Money’s not the point, we just want to be the spokesperson.
Of course, for such a big group, paying too little for a spokesperson would be embarrassing.
Mr. Liu hadn’t paid much attention to Wen Ying, his focus had been on Li Mengjiao since she walked into the audition room.
Until Wen Ying spoke.
Mr. Liu looked, oh, this round-faced girl was quite likable.
“Little girl, if flattery worked, why bother with auditions?”
Mr. Liu said he liked flattery, Liang Dan could not only flatter herself but also find a few smooth-talkers who wouldn’t repeat a single phrase!
Wen Ying smiled sheepishly, “You overestimate me, everyone who knows me says I’m honest, my face turns red when I lie.”
Red when lying.
Her face wasn’t red, her breath steady, so she was telling the truth?
Mr. Liu didn’t buy Wen Ying’s nonsense, but her daring to speak up, with Yuan Fenghui not stopping her, was intriguing.
He thought Wen Ying was Li Mengjiao’s assistant or something.
Though she looked young, with Xu Mei’s mature “sophisticated face” for her age, there must be baby-faced ones who look younger than they are.
“Who’s this…?”
“Wen Ying is Mengjiao’s classmate, here to support her audition,” Yuan Fenghui said with a smile.
Letting Yuan Fenghui and Mr. Liu talk risked a tense fallout, but Wen Ying’s banter could lighten things.
If it didn’t work, she’s just a kid, Mr. Liu wouldn’t hold it against a high schooler.
If it worked, everyone wins!
Yuan Fenghui stressed “classmate,” highlighting Wen Ying’s identity.
Mr. Liu was taken aback.
He thought she was a seasoned pro playing young, but she was genuinely young.
Li Mengjiao was a high school freshman, so this girl must be too.
Words from a professional sound like flattery, but from a student, they carry a natural sincerity.
Hunan TV kept pushing Xu Mei, but he held firm, wanting to see Li Mengjiao himself.
He rejected Liang Dan’s lobbying, sticking with Li Mengjiao as the spokesperson, truly her “mentor.”
Mr. Liu grew interested, “You little girl, so slick-tongued, a bit precocious, since we’re free now, let’s hear you chat!”
Just flattery, right?
He could resist Liang Dan’s money and seduction, if he couldn’t handle a high school girl’s flattery, he might as well buy tofu and smash his head with it.
Li Mengjiao smirked, if Mr. Liu wants to chat with Wen Ying, he’s done for!
Wen Ying winked at Li Mengjiao, who quickly grabbed a chair for Mr. Liu, “Sit and listen to Wen Ying, she’s great at talking.”
Mr. Liu sat obligingly, and Wen Ying poured him water, “You must’ve spent a lot of effort dealing with the station over the spokesperson, so tiring. Anyone else would’ve picked Xu Mei, she’s got fame and the station’s backing, but you insisted on auditioning Mengjiao, not for yourself, but for your brand’s growth.”
Wen Ying spoke calmly, each word hitting Mr. Liu’s heart.
Of course, it was for the brand!
It’s what he’s most proud of, no one could fault him on this.
“Not bad, little girl, you’ve got some skill, keep going, if it makes sense, the fee’s negotiable.”
Mr. Liu said he didn’t care, but he enjoyed Wen Ying’s flattery.
Wen Ying saw through it.
But she switched gears, dropping the flattery, “This endorsement is crucial for Mengjiao, it could skyrocket her career, we’ve achieved our main goal, so we shouldn’t haggle over pennies, but favors are favors, some things need to be clear.”
Though still smiling, her tone turned serious, “You’re Mengjiao’s mentor, true, but you may not fully know her story. She could’ve won the talent show and been heavily promoted, the fame Xu Mei has now is what Mengjiao gave up! Like I said, she’s in her teens, her future’s boundless, she wanted the championship, but it meant signing with Mr. Guan, so she’d rather not. If the entertainment path doesn’t work, she’ll just be a good student again… she wants the endorsement, but it’s just a job, not her whole future.”
With payment, it’s a job.
Without, it’s charity.
Charity can be walked away from, Yuan Fenghui knows to pay a part-time wage for Wen Ying’s responsibility, Mr. Liu should get that.
Cheap doesn’t mean quality!
All the mentor talk and gratitude are fluff, payment means doing the job well, that’s the truth!
The more the payment, the better Li Mengjiao performs as spokesperson!
Mr. Liu’s water cup tilted.
You little round-face, do you know who you’re talking to?
Liang Dan’s impressive, right?
Even she’s polite in front of him!
Mr. Liu glared at Wen Ying from his core, but she didn’t flinch, meeting his gaze head-on.
Li Mengjiao glanced at Mr. Liu, then Wen Ying, in a staring contest, Wen Ying would win, her eyes big and round.
