Global Film Emperor

Chapter 50 Broker

After exiting the system space, Lu Ze reached out and patted the blanket covering him. It was soft and light, much more comfortable than the old cotton quilt he used to use. You really do get what you pay for.

After getting up and washing up, Lu Ze finally experienced the pleasure of taking a morning shower. He felt refreshed and invigorated. He applied shaving foam to his chin and shaved it clean with a razor. He was a hairy person, and not only did his hair grow fast, but his beard grew just as fast.

The small rice cooker I bought can hold two small bowls of rice. I only ate one bowl yesterday, so this morning I added hot water to cook it again. I ate it with a fried egg and pickled vegetables, and breakfast was done.

Lock the door, take the elevator. It's rush hour now, so the elevator usually stops at one floor.

Good morning, Brother Lu.

Lu Ze stood at the very back, leaning against the side panel of the elevator, looking down at his phone. When he heard someone greet him, he didn't think it was someone calling him. After all, he was in an unfamiliar place and couldn't possibly run into someone he knew.

After a while, he realized that apart from that greeting, there was no other sound. He looked up in surprise and found two little girls looking at him from across a person.

"Oh, good morning. Sorry, I thought you weren't calling me. You two are from the company too, right?"

Lu Ze could easily understand this. Although he had never met the company's trainees, he knew there were four of them: two men and two women. The two girls in front of him were pretty and looked to be no more than twenty years old. They even greeted him, so they were probably the two female trainees.

"Yes, Brother Lu, my name is Ye Meiqi, and her name is Xue Xue. We are both trainees of Qian Shijia. Please take good care of us in the future."

The two girls were very cheerful and outgoing; otherwise, an introverted person wouldn't have entered this circle. They were also probably aware of the contract Lu Ze had signed, which is why they were so polite to him.

"I'll have to rely on you guys to take care of me. I'm new here, you guys are the company's veterans. Remember to mentor me in the future."

Upon reaching the first floor, the three chatted and laughed as they walked towards the company. Lu Ze asked curiously, "By the way, I only see the two of you. Where are the two guys?"

"They clock in before nine in the morning. It's a miracle if they arrive at 8:59. They're so lazy. They're not as diligent as you, Brother Lu. By the way, Brother Lu, have you eaten breakfast yet? Let me treat you to breakfast."

Xue Xue was very enthusiastic and ordered eight steamed buns at the bun shop—four vegetarian and four meat—but Lu Ze quickly refused, saying he had already eaten breakfast.

Along the way, Lu Ze observed the two girls with great curiosity. After all, it was his first time meeting trainees who were singers and dancers, and two girls at that. He then discovered that the two girls were indeed suffering a lot.

The steamed buns at this place aren't very big. Let alone a man, even a normal woman could easily eat three or four without any problem. But these two girls only ate two. They didn't even dare to drink soy milk, and instead drank the lemon tea they made in the morning and took to the office.

Moreover, they were eating while walking on the street. Judging from how natural the two girls looked, they were probably used to eating like this every morning, which was even more tiring than the average working woman.

He didn't ask the two girls how old they were or why they weren't in school but were trainees at the company. They weren't that close yet, and it was their private matter, none of Lu Ze's business.

Once at the company, trainees have two days off per week, and the rest of the time they have to be at the company, just like a regular job, working from nine to five, and having to clock in and out.

Lu Ze, on the other hand, didn't have as many restrictions. He didn't need to come to the company unless necessary, and he could go wherever he wanted as long as he didn't cause trouble. After all, Lu Ze didn't receive a monthly stipend from the company like the trainees.

Lu Ze said goodbye to them and walked to the artist management department.

Gao Wanzhi hadn't arrived yet, so the assistant poured Lu Ze a cup of coffee. After waiting for more than ten minutes, Gao Wanzhi came to work.

"Sister Gao."

"Hmm, you're here so early? How long have you been waiting?"

"It won't be long, just a few minutes. You'll be there while you play on your phone for a bit."

“Okay, your agent said she’ll be here in twenty minutes. She’s a veteran in the industry, has her own resources, and is very professional, so you can rest assured.”

An agent's income depends on the contract between the company and the artist. It usually accounts for 10% to 30% of the artist's total income. If the company takes the majority of the income, then this money is paid by the company. Conversely, if the artist takes the majority of the income, then this money is paid by the artist to the agent.

Take Lu Ze's contract as an example. He only receives 30%, so his agent's income is paid by Qian Shijia. Therefore, Gao Wanzhi doesn't need to tell Lu Ze what percentage his agent receives, since it has no direct relation to Lu Ze.

"I have no problem with that, but there are some basic rights I want to have. My agent has to discuss and communicate with me about the roles I want to play. If I don't want to play a role, I hope my agent can't force me to." This is very important. Lu Ze has heard some behind-the-scenes stories. Many agents are very tough. It's okay with big stars, but with newcomers, they sometimes force them to play roles for the sake of their own connections. If this happened to Lu Ze, he definitely wouldn't agree. So, he needs to talk to Gao Wanzhi and let her know his bottom line.

"Don't worry, that's definitely not the case. You'll need to sign a contract with your agent later, and the terms will be clearly stated."

Since that was the case, Lu Ze had no objections. Gao Wanzhi took this opportunity to give the contract to Lu Ze so that he could review it first. She also found a legal department employee to tutor him, just like a hired lawyer, to translate the tongue-twisting clauses into plain language for Lu Ze.

A moment later, a woman pushed open the glass door. Lu Ze glanced at her and estimated that she was about the same age as Gao Wanzhi, probably around thirty-five or thirty-six. However, she was much prettier than Gao Wanzhi, with a good figure. She was wearing sunglasses, and her clothes were neither plain nor flashy. She also had a very good temperament and an intellectual feel.

"Sorry, Wanzhi, there was a bit of traffic, I'm late."

Artists often rely on their agents, and companies sometimes need agents' help to promote new talent. Therefore, every senior agent is a treasure to the company and must be treated like a Buddha.

In other words, although Gao Wanzhi is the head of the artist management department, her role is more like a bridge between artists and agents, rather than managing agents. Therefore, this "big shot" is of a higher level than Gao Wanzhi, and naturally does not use honorifics when speaking.

"Sister Shen, you're too kind. Please have a seat. By the way, let me introduce you. This is your future business partner, Lu Ze. Please say hello to Sister Shen."

Lu Ze had already read the information and knew her name, Shen Jinghan. He reached out and shook her hand, saying, "Hello, Sister Shen, I'm Lu Ze."

"You're too kind, you're quite tall."

Shen Jinghan put down her bag and took off her glasses. Only then did Lu Ze realize that she was definitely older than Gao Wanzhi. No matter how well a woman takes care of herself, it is difficult to completely hide her crow's feet. Once she took off her glasses, her age was exposed. She looked to be about forty years old.

After taking a sip of tea, Shen Jinghan sighed and looked at Lu Ze with a kind gaze: "Sigh, it's been a long time since I've mentored a newcomer. Suddenly I feel old. By the way, Lu Ze, how old is your mother this year?"

Lu Ze didn't quite understand why the topic suddenly turned to his own mother, but he still answered, "She's forty-six."

"Then you got married very early."

"Yes, in the countryside, people got married young back then. My mom got married at nineteen, and I was born the following year."

Shen Jinghan smiled somewhat helplessly and shrugged at Gao Wanzhi: "Look, his mother isn't even as old as me, really."

She turned to Lu Ze, sighed, and said as if admitting she was getting old, "Don't call me 'sister' anymore, I'm too embarrassed to acknowledge you. You have to call me 'auntie,' my daughter is only five years younger than you. Alright, let's look at the contract."

Shen Jinghan didn't bring a lawyer, but he flipped through the contract much faster than Lu Ze did with a lawyer. He finished reading it in about half an hour, then sat and chatted with Gao Wanzhi while waiting for Lu Ze.

The contract was reasonable, and Lu Ze had no objections to it. Both of them nodded in agreement and signed the contract directly. Then, they handed it to Gao Wanzhi to affix the official seal, and the contract was considered to be in effect.

"Alright, that's all. Lu Ze, you should go back and rest. I'll keep an eye out for you if anything comes up. Let's switch numbers and wait for my message."

Shen Jinghan made the decision directly, telling Lu Ze to go back and rest. Gao Wanzhi had no complaints, but she still stopped the two of them.

"Sister Shen, wait a moment with Lu Ze. I have an audition here for Director Cheng Yuan's new film. We've secured a spot and decided to let Lu Ze give it a try."

"Sigh, you've just arrived and you're already giving me work to do? Okay, let me see the script. Cheng Yuan, an old friend."

"It's just a coincidence. We heard about it last week, but the company didn't have any actors at the time. Now that we have Lu Ze, we need a spot."

Shen Jinghan and Gao Wanzhi sat back down on the sofa, while Lu Ze's expression was somewhat strange.

"He just reported to the company and started working on his second day?"

"."

I'm preparing to write a short story related to my new play. I already have a general idea, and it's not expected to be too long, maybe three or four chapters. Time for bed, goodnight!



(End of this chapter)