Global Film Emperor

Chapter 253 Interested in being a boss?

Upon reaching the thirteenth floor, Lu Ze glanced around and noticed that the sign that had originally hung above Hu Zhiguang's office had been taken down, while Li Shanjun's office now bore a sign that read "General Manager's Office," and the style of the sign was quite different from that of Hu Zhiguang's.

The secretary was sitting at the door of the general manager's office. She was the secretary who came to Qian Shijia with Li Shanjun. Hu Zhiguang's secretary had already left the company long ago.

Hearing footsteps, the secretary turned around and saw Lu Ze. She quickly put her teacup on the table, stood up, and greeted Lu Ze with a very professional smile.

"Is Mr. Li inside? I'd like to talk to him about something."

"Okay, Brother Lu, please wait a moment while I go ask President Li. Please come in, Brother Lu, what would you like to drink?"

The secretary pushed open the office door, and after about twenty seconds, she flung the door wide open, waved her hand, and asked Lu Ze what he wanted to drink.

"I don't need anything. I just finished drinking downstairs. I'm not thirsty."

After entering the room, the secretary left and closed the door. Lu Ze walked around the screen and saw Li Shanjun sitting in front of the computer typing on the keyboard. Li Shanjun also looked up, and the two looked at each other.

Lee Sun-kyun is not even forty years old, but his hair is indeed thinning day by day. Now he has almost a bald patch on the top of his head. He has an ordinary face and is about 1.75 meters tall. He wears frameless narrow-rimmed glasses and has a serious demeanor with a slightly intimidating presence.

"You're back? Come and sit down. You must be tired these days. You look a bit darker and thinner than before. What's up?"

Li Shanjun waved his hand, inviting Lu Ze to sit down. Lu Ze didn't stand on ceremony, pulled up a chair opposite the desk and sat down, placing his hands on the desk. He thought for a moment, realizing that it was absolutely impossible for Li Shanjun not to know about the contract.

Now that Lu Ze has risen to this position, the company must be extremely concerned about his contract. Only Li Shanjun can finalize the details of his contract.

"It's like this, Mr. Li, I'd like to talk to you about my contract. I know the company values ​​me highly, and I consider the company my home, but I'm sorry, I cannot accept this contract."

"You're talking about the time limit, right? I knew you'd bring this up with me. Fifteen years... that's really not a short time. To be honest, Lu Ze, I set this time limit. You saw the word 'draft' on the first page of the document, right? I set this time limit because I thought the longer you could stay at Qian Shijia, the better. But a draft means everything is negotiable, don't you think?"

Lu Ze didn't quite understand what Li Shanjun meant. If anyone said that Li Shanjun was a fool, Lu Ze would be the first to disagree, but Li Shanjun's current actions did seem a bit puzzling to Lu Ze.

"Mr. Li, I don't quite understand what you mean. If you were to show me this contract because I had previously expressed a desire to switch jobs, I could understand. But I have no intention of switching jobs. I know that Qian Shijia is the most suitable for me. There is no need to say that you are trying to tie me down for fifteen years, is there?"

Lu Ze's words were a bit harsh. He was really unhappy today. After Hu Zhiguang left, he had no intention of changing jobs. He just wanted to stay at Qian Shijia. He originally wanted to see how sincere Li Shanjun was, but he didn't expect to be slapped in the face. Who wouldn't be angry in that situation?

Lee Sun-kyun was angered by Lu Ze's tone. In fact, Lu Ze's emotions were exactly what he expected and did not surprise him. Lee Sun-kyun would have been surprised if Lu Ze had signed it as soon as he received it.

“Lu Ze, I know that fifteen years is indeed a long time for you, but this is also based on reality. Although your situation is somewhat special and you have grown up too fast, you are only twenty-nine years old. I will give you a contract based on the normal industry standard. I hope you can understand this.”

“You’re not an outsider either. For artists, especially those who rely on their talent and have long careers, the first contract is usually around 10 to 15 years, with the draft typically being 15 years, and the rest needs to be negotiated. The second contract is usually 10 years, with the rest also needing to be negotiated. But you already have three years left on your contract. If you sign another 10 years, that’s 13 years. So I’ll readjust the contract, void the remaining three years, and make it 15 years, and we can negotiate the rest later. Is that strange? Otherwise, we could negotiate a renewal, and the second contract would be a normal 10 years. After negotiations, adding the current three years, it would be a round 10 years. Is there much difference between that and negotiating 15 years?”

Lee Sun-kyun was indeed not lying. We won't discuss the earlier artists because it's been too long. Let's focus on the present. In this fast-paced era of celebrities, young stars might indeed sign five-year or even three-year contracts. Because after those few years, they might not be popular anymore. But most artists sign long-term contracts of ten years or more. Because during those ten years, nobody knows what will happen in the future. Perhaps a previously forgotten artist will suddenly become popular again for some unknown reason; that's all possible.

Therefore, in order to ensure that talented artists do not slip through their fingers, management companies will prioritize signing long-term contracts. Even if they are supporting a has-been artist, they will invest less resources and it won't cost much money. They can treat it like supporting a pet. Only those artists for whom there is really no future will be offered short-term contracts.

However, all artists who take the talent route have long-term contracts; none of them have short-term contracts. The saying that talent guarantees success doesn't apply to the entertainment industry, but talented artists certainly have a higher chance of succeeding than those without talent. To avoid regretting their decision, no company would let such artists go.

Only an idiot would sign a short-term contract with an artist like Lu Ze, whose talent is practically freakish, whose fame is soaring, and who even has a certain box office appeal.

Thinking about it this way, the 15-year draft is not surprising. Lu Ze can understand it. He has even heard of artists who have signed 35-year contracts, either in ancient times or in recent years, while 15-year contracts are commonplace.

However, there was a major loophole, or rather a detail, that Li Shanjun deliberately glossed over. It was mentioned in his words just now, and if Lu Ze hadn't been so clever, he might have been fooled by Li Shanjun.

This loophole is what he just mentioned: "Although your situation is special, you've grown up too fast."

You have to admit that people's worth is different. The gap between Lu Ze and a 29-year-old artist who hasn't made it big is more than 200 miles. You can't use the contract of an ordinary artist at 29 years old to give to Lu Ze. It is precisely because of Lu Ze's worth that this fundamental difference exists.

No company would be foolish enough to use a contract term to restrict a movie star, especially one as famous as Lu Ze. To keep such an actor in the company long-term, you have to provide substantial resources and a caring behind-the-scenes team to make the artist feel at home. That's the way to retain a big star.

Do big stars sign long-term contracts? They definitely do, but definitely not for that long. They're usually around ten years, but when they negotiate, it's usually five years or more, or ten years or less, and they frequently renew their contracts.

So Lu Ze has now come to his senses. Signing a 15-year contract was definitely not Li Shanjun's goal. He had other ideas, which is why he used this long-term contract to block Lu Ze.

Moreover, he was certain that Lu Ze did not want to leave Qian Shijia. If Lu Ze left Qian Shijia, he would no longer be the top employee at any other company. Instead, he would be suppressed by the top employees of other companies and would definitely not do as well as he did at Qian Shijia. That's why he dared to do this.

"Mr. Li, I was reluctant to say this, because I felt it might sound a bit arrogant. But as you said, I am a special case, right? I currently have one Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor and two Golden Rooster Awards for Best Actor. Which 29-year-old artist can compare to me? Since the awards were established, only nine people have won Best Actor before the age of 30, only two have won two, and no one has won three. But what about me? I might win the Golden Horse Award for Best Actor at the end of this year, which would be four Best Actor awards. I don't think I should compare myself to ordinary 29-year-old artists, right?"

Lu Ze's words sound arrogant, but it depends on the occasion. When discussing contracts, he definitely needs to showcase his strengths and flex his muscles. Comparing himself to Lu Ze? You're not worthy.
Lee Sun-kyun frowned, leaned back in his chair, sighed deeply, reached out his right hand to pinch the corner of his eye, and then patted the armrest. Lu Ze suddenly had a feeling that Lee Sun-kyun was finally getting to the point.

"Sigh, you're right. I didn't think this through. I shouldn't have only looked at age and not performance. It's my fault, but I haven't been in this industry for a long time, so I made some mistakes. I hope you can understand, Lu Ze. After all, I'm not a professional in the entertainment industry, right?"

“I understand Mr. Li. Actually, once we talk it out, there’s nothing to worry about. Maybe my words were a bit harsh. Please don’t take offense.”

"Hey~ It's a small problem. You're the big brother of Qian Shijia, and you've made great contributions to Qian Shijia. If I get angry over such a small thing, then I'd be unworthy of my position. Besides, let's talk about contracts. If we don't talk about contracts, how can we get contracts? Right? Actually, I've thought about it and considered two paths for you. Looking at it this way, Lu Ze, you're not very interested in signing long-term contracts. So, how about being the boss?"

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Congratulations to Shan Youfu on the birth of your baby! The first baby in Blackheart Village! Wishing the baby and mother a safe and healthy pregnancy, and the child a happy and healthy growth!

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(End of this chapter)