Chapter 55 Reba's Signing

Huang Xiaoming invited me to the premiere?
Zhang Qianjun paused to reflect, finally remembering that Huang Xiaoming had already extended an invitation to him during the celebration banquet for Brotherhood of Blades last year.
"When is his movie releasing?"
Chen Xiaoyu glanced at the memo in her hand.
"The movie *The Taichi Fighter* is scheduled for release on April 23, with the midnight screening on April 22, and the premiere red carpet event held on the same day."
"Isn't that still more than half a month away? What is he rushing for?"
Chen Xiaoyu desperately fought down the urge to roll her eyes.
"Boss, not everyone is like you, calling people directly on a whim the moment they cross your mind. And not everyone is like you, hanging up on people straight away just because you don't feel like talking to them."
Zhang Qianjun didn't quite agree with that perspective.
"Xiaoyu, most socializing is meaningless. Engaging in pointless social interactions with irrelevant people is just wasting my precious life. Tell them that I will definitely be there, but I am only responsible for going on stage to say a hello."
After making a note of it, Chen Xiaoyu continued, "China Film Group and Enlight Pictures want to ask for your advice regarding the release date of *So Young*."
Zhang Qianjun wasn't very keen on picking up that thread.
"Why ask me? I'm not even a producer this time. Just tell them we obey the organization's decision. If you must have me give a suggestion, then make it Children's Day on June 1st. It's close to the college entrance examinations, and university students haven't started their summer break yet. The only competition in the same period is *Men in Black 3*, and that'll be in its second week. There are no good release slots between April and June anyway—this bizarre market allows *Titanic* to come and cash in just by slapping on some post-produced 3D."
Chen Xiaoyu carefully took notes.
"Director Guo Fan stated that the cast for *My Old Classmate* has been finalized, and he would like to ask you for some guiding advice."
Zhang Qianjun thought to himself that the female lead was Ye Qing and the male lead was Li Xian, with only a few other significant roles. Initially, he wanted to say he wouldn't bother looking, but considering the sheer number of disgraced celebrities nowadays, he decided to take a quick glance anyway.
Aside from a few older actors who looked vaguely familiar, the rest were completely unheard of.
Hmm? Starting filming a year early and they still chose Zhang Zifeng to play the young Zhou Xiaozhi?
Zhang Qianjun was about to ask if she was too young, but then he reconsidered: she wouldn't grow much taller even as an adult, and since Guo Fan chose her, there probably wouldn't be any major issues.
After a swift scan, Zhang Qianjun handed the actor roster back.
"Let's go with this. I don't see any obvious flaws. Are there any other matters?"
"Harper's Bazaar has invited you to shoot a magazine interior spread and hopes you can attend this year's Bazaar Charity Gala."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Qianjun immediately found it extremely tedious, but reflecting that declining a charity gala carried a bad reputation, he replied, "I won't do the shoot. Doesn't everyone say that top-tier stars get direct solo covers? Who wants to shoot interior pages? The charity banquet can be attended, though; accept that one."
Chen Xiaoyu felt rather helpless.
"Boss, the process for first-tier magazines is always like this. You have to slowly accumulate points, climb the steps, and earn their recognition before you can make the cover."
For the first time, Zhang Qianjun discovered that Chen Xiaoyu couldn't grasp his intentions every single time.
"And then what? What happens once you get on the cover?"
Chen Xiaoyu hesitated slightly; she could already sense that her boss's attitude had soured.
"You gain recognition from the fashion world, and then you can secure fashion resources and high-end luxury endorsements."
Zhang Qianjun sneered in contempt.
"You mean that whole routine of becoming a 'friend of the house,' brand ambassador, or spokesperson? Seeing who can better harvest domestic fans as cash crops? The better you are at reaping domestic韭菜, the higher the title you get?"
Zhang Qianjun cast a glance at his somewhat uneasy assistant.
"Over in Qiantang, preparations for my personal clothing brand are already underway, and it will officially launch after the releases of *So Young* and *Unbeatable*. Initially, we'll open an online store using an OEM manufacturing model. Later on, we'll acquire a ready-to-wear garment factory in Qiantang to achieve an integrated operation of production, research, and sales, while opening offline brick-and-mortar stores in core districts of major cities. I've said it before: I want my fans to be able to buy high-quality, reasonably priced personal brand clothing. Even if the profit margin for doing this is very low and doesn't make much money, I am still going to do it. Xiaoyu, I have never wanted to be some traffic idol, nor a fashion icon approved by the fashion circle. If you cannot understand this, perhaps you are still better suited for the job of a personal lifestyle assistant."
Seeing Chen Xiaoyu standing there motionless after being lectured, a sense of mischievous amusement welled up in Zhang Qianjun's heart. No wonder some leaders loved to lecture endlessly; they probably enjoyed this feeling of controlling others.
"Xiaoyu, if there's nothing else, go ahead and get to work."
Watching his assistant leave with a heavy heart, Zhang Qianjun felt as though he was practically workplace-PUA-ing her.
However, reality is harsh: if a core subordinate cannot maintain the same level of cognitive alignment with you, you have no choice but to reassign them or replace them.
*Unbeatable* was still in post-production, with the final cut expected to be ready by early June.
As for *My Old Classmate*, Guo Fan could handle it himself. According to Zhang Qianjun's estimation, even without famous actors, purely based on the title and the current market's fondness for youth films, it would likely turn a profit.
Moreover, Guo Fan was exceptionally skilled at creating atmosphere and extracting tears; the earnings by then might even surpass those of *Brotherhood of Blades*.
Ah, *Brotherhood of Blades* was finally seeing the dawn of financial settlement.
According to hints dropped by Department Head Wang, the total box office reached 362.37 million RMB, with the total split settlement amounting to 47.85 million RMB.
As for overseas copyrights, there was still no word on those; this particular item simply didn't sell as well as *Better Days*.
He had put in so much painstaking effort, following the project all the way through, performing on stage and running through a nine-day promotional tour, and even arranging for internet trolls to generate hype through his own company—only to end up with this meager share.
Although there would be some streaming revenue shares later on once a video website purchased the broadcasting rights, those amounts were pathetically small and basically negligible.
While pondering how to make his next film more profitable, he suddenly thought of a previous investment of his, picked up the phone, and called Wang Ning.
*Beep... beep...* The call connected.
"President Wang, I have an idea. Do you think there's any potential in turning movie characters into those chibi toys of yours? Don't they have a lot of movie merchandise spin-offs abroad? Can we also open a line to give it a try? Yes, specifically for *Brotherhood of Blades*; we're going to turn this into a franchise series. The merchandise copyright is with me, so there won't be any subsequent trouble. Alright, I'll have someone get in touch with you when the time comes."
After hanging up, Zhang Qianjun began pondering what to name the clothing brand, as well as matters concerning the OEM manufacturer and the online store.
Li Yanqing, who had left less than two hours ago, returned, delivering a single sentence the moment they met.
"I've contacted that girl from Xinjiang. She hasn't signed with any agency yet, but she has only one request: she hopes you will be present during the contract negotiations because she has some matters she wants to communicate with you in person."
Zhang Qianjun thought to himself, what kind of request is that?
"Fine, let her come. Coordinate my schedule with Xiaoyu. Oh, and buy Dilraba a first-class ticket, and have Brother Zhou send a car to pick her up at the airport. Make it look grand. Be generous now so it's easier to exploit her for money later."
Li Yanqing found it somewhat amusing; the boss seemed utterly convinced that this girl would be able to make money in the future, truly never forgetting his original intention. With that, he stood up to bid farewell and continued with his work.
Two days later, Capital Airport.
Dilraba had just emerged from the exit when she spotted a large placard bearing her name. Next to the person holding the sign, a middle-aged man of about 40 walked toward her.
"Hello, are you Dilraba? I am Li Yanqing. We spoke on the phone earlier. Right this way, let's get in the car and head to the company."
Dilraba briefly sized up the middle-aged man, confirming he matched the appearance of Zhang Qianjun's manager online, greeted him politely, and together they got into a Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
To Dilraba's surprise, the manager Li Yanqing got straight into the front passenger seat, leaving her to sit alone in the back. After briefly introducing the company's situation with a couple of sentences, he fell silent.
She couldn't help feeling a bit puzzled, but her cautious nature kept her questions buried in her heart.
After a roughly 40-minute drive, they arrived at the company's location in Haidian District.
Li Yanqing casually explained to her that because the boss was still a university student, the company's initial site was chosen right next to his campus.
Dilraba nodded. The man she was about to meet might well be her boss for many years to come.
She had always been quite curious about this person: both were college sophomores, both peers, so why was he already a boss?
Upon arriving at the meeting room, it wasn't long before she saw a figure stride in quickly.
'So tall, so built, very handsome'—that was Dilraba's immediate impression upon first meeting Zhang Qianjun.
This guy probably didn't exaggerate his height, Dilraba thought to herself.
She hurriedly stood up to shake hands and greet him, and his palm touched hers only fleetingly before pulling away.
'His hand is so big, and so warm.'
While Dilraba was still wondering what she should say next, his opening line practically shattered her composure.
"Are you 168 centimeters? You don't feel as tall as Yang Mi."
Dilraba could only manage a polite smile.
"My height with shoes on is 168."
He promptly sat down opposite her.
"If you have any questions, ask them directly. I don't like beating around the bush; it's better to discuss things face-to-face."
Dilraba glanced at the opposite party, finding him as straightforward and direct as the rumors suggested.
"I'd like to understand the company's planning for me."
The man opposite her pondered for a few seconds.
"You should be asking Li Yanqing about that. To be honest, regarding your future planning, I was quite torn myself. Originally, I wanted to mold you into the direction of a traffic actress, but later I abandoned that idea. Because those kinds of human puppets are utterly boring, and their ceiling is very limited. Slogging through schedules might earn you a lot of money, but that's about it."
Dilraba was just about to speak when the other man raised a hand.
"Hear me out. What kind of person you will be in the future probably still requires you to decide for yourself; if a company's projected persona doesn't match the individual, it's nothing short of a marketing disaster. I can only tell you what the company has and what it can give you."
The man opposite glanced at the desktop, seemingly reminiscing, then raised his head to look straight into her eyes.
"The company is not lacking in film resources; I can't guarantee every role will be the female lead, but I can guarantee you'll get enough roles to make you sick of acting. We haven't dabbled in television dramas for now, but TV resources are quite easy to find, and starting next year, the company will also produce its own television series. Currently, we've only signed one male artist—my classmate Li Xian. The company invested 20 million RMB to cast him as the male lead in *My Old Classmate*. In the future, the top brother and top sister of the company will be the two of you. Any resource the company can secure will be prioritized for you two."
Hearing this, Dilraba raised a question.
"Then what about you?"
"My management contract is with Solar System Pictures. Strictly speaking, from the moment Li Yanqing took office as the general manager of Saturn Entertainment, he ceased to be my manager."
Zhang Qianjun paused.
"There is one more point I must truthfully inform you of: we don't have many fashion resources here. I myself am not interested in those things, so that area is something you'll need to explore and develop gradually on your own. As for everything else—"
The man opposite pondered once more.
"The company will protect you and equip you with a corresponding team, guaranteeing that we will never use you to engage in public relations stunts like entertaining clients or hosting. This is my promise to you."
Upon hearing this, Dilraba finally found an opportunity to speak.
"Didn't they say that unspoken rules are unavoidable? If there really is a business deal that requires me to drink with people to close it, what should be done?"
The man opposite chuckled lightly.
"Any business deal that requires drinking to succeed is entirely dispensable. We just won't do that business, simple as that."
Dilraba wasn't satisfied with this answer.
"What if I encounter a director trying to enforce unspoken rules?"
"We'll just replace the director."
"What if I encounter a major financial backer trying to enforce unspoken rules?"
Zhang Qianjun found it somewhat amusing; this girl had a remarkably strong sense of crisis consciousness.
"Dilraba, as far as you're concerned, the company is your financial backer. Instead of worrying about these things, you'd better consult the company's stylist on how to get fairer skin; you're much tanner than I remember."
Hearing him say she was dark-skinned, Dilraba's expression visibly darkened by several shades.
Zhang Qianjun lowered his head and pressed his brow bone, looking somewhat fatigued.
"Discuss the rest with President Li. Entertainment management falls under his purview; that's all I have to say to you."
As soon as the words fell, Dilraba watched as he gestured to Li Yanqing, turned around, and strode out of the meeting room in just a few steps.
"He walks really fast, too..."
Just as Dilraba was recalling the conversation between the two of them, Li Yanqing sat down in the seat next to her.
"Do you have any other questions?"
Dilraba shook her head.
"Director Li, hand me the contract."
Once both parties had signed the relevant contracts, Li Yanqing handed her a script.
"Filming is scheduled to start at the end of June. The boss is the male lead, and you'll play his half-sister, the second female lead. Prepare yourself in advance."
Dilraba took it and quickly skimmed through it.
"Is the role of Han Lu the female lead? Director Li, may I know who is playing the female lead?"
Li Yanqing smiled and said, "No need to call me Director Li, just call me Glasses Brother; Qianjun always calls me that. The female lead in this movie exists within the male lead's memories, so she doesn't have many scenes. Liu Yifei will be playing the role."