How can you ascend to heaven when you are a star?

Chapter 396 Trap!

When Zhang Wen returned to the recording studio, the song had already been recorded.

I listened to it once with headphones, and the effect was excellent, not inferior to professional singers at all.

He knew that Bai Lu had practiced for months in order to sing this song well, and had even invited a professional vocal coach to provide guidance, so his singing skills improved rapidly.

In addition, when he left the recording studio, he added 3 skill points to the other person's vocal skills, raising their vocal skill value from 58 to 61, instantly reaching a professional level. It would be absolutely impossible for them not to sing well.

"How did I sing?" Bai Lu asked expectantly, her eyes sparkling like the summer night sky filled with scattered starlight.

"Very good." Zhang Wen took off his headphones and gave the other person a thumbs up.

"That's it?" Bai Lu blinked, feeling pleased but also a little guilty for praising him. "Do you have any professional advice?"

"I suggest you release an album soon. As your number one fan, I can't wait," Zhang Wen said seriously.

Bai Lu blushed involuntarily when she heard her boyfriend's teasing. She gently pushed his arm and said coquettishly, "You're so annoying."

In order not to tarnish her boyfriend's reputation as a "hit song maker," she put a lot of effort into singing. If this song is ruined by her voice, she will be too embarrassed to kiss him in the future.

"..."

Wang Qi, standing to the side, looked on in astonishment, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Teacher Zhang, Bai Lu, and Manager Gao, his heart filled with surprise.

what's the situation?
Aren't Teacher Zhang and Manager Gao a couple? Why was she flirting with Bai Lu just now? And in front of Manager Gao no less.

Did Teacher Zhang and Agent Gao break up?
It doesn't seem like it!

Why did you come to the company together after breaking up?

Moreover, Gao is Bai Lu's manager. Teacher Zhang dated Gao first, and after breaking up, he dated an artist under Gao's management. Doesn't he feel awkward?

Is it really possible to remain friends after breaking up?
Wang Qi scratched his head, and the CPU started smoking.

Not only can I not understand it, but I also can't figure it out.

"Teacher Wang, thank you for your hard work." Zhang Wen expressed his gratitude to Wang Qi, who looked dazed.

"No, it's nothing." Wang Qi quickly shook his head after regaining his senses.

To her, being able to hear Zhang Wen's song in advance was like a windfall, and she couldn't wait for such opportunities to come to her in the future.

"It's getting late, Teacher Wang. Do you have time? Would you like Bai Lu to treat you to a simple meal?" Zhang Wen asked.

“Yes, let’s have a meal together,” Bai Lu chimed in.

Wang Qi glanced at Bai Lu, then at Manager Gao. If it were Teacher Zhang inviting her alone, she would have agreed without hesitation, but now…

She didn't want to get involved in this complicated relationship, so she made up an excuse to decline, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, but I've already made plans to have dinner with my parents tonight. Let's do it another day."

"Okay, then let's do it another day." Zhang Wen glanced at his watch and said, "It's getting late, we should go."

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Zhang Wen led Bai Lu and Gao Yue out of the recording studio and took the elevator directly to the underground parking lot.

"What are we having for dinner tonight?" Zhang Wen asked as he stepped out of the elevator.

"Let's have some barbecue, it's been a long time since I've had any." After saying that, Bai Lu looked at Yue Jie beside her and asked for her opinion.

“I have no objection,” Gao Yue said; she didn’t have any particular requirements for the food.

“Okay, let’s go for a barbecue then.” Zhang Wen made the decision immediately.

As he approached the car and was about to open the door and get in, a "beep" sounded behind him. He then saw a Mercedes-Benz parked in front of his car, and the driver was none other than Li Lehua, whom he had met once at noon.

what's the situation?
Did they never leave?
Are all bosses this free?

Great, now he has another reason to become a boss.

"Come up and let's talk," Li Lehua said expressionlessly.

Zhang Wen really wanted to refuse. Although he didn't know what the other person wanted to talk about, given their relationship, it definitely wasn't going to be a good thing.

"Mr. Li, we were just about to go out for dinner, would you like to join us?" Zhang Wen asked.

Gao Yue and Bai Lu also saw President Li at this moment and unconsciously stopped in their tracks.

"I won't bother you any longer. I just have a few words to say, and then I'll leave," Li Lehua said calmly.

Zhang Wen felt that things were definitely not as simple as the other party said. If it were really just a few words, they would have said it when they met at noon, instead of waiting until now.

Thinking that whether it's a blessing or a curse, there's no escaping it, Zhang Wen opened the passenger door and got in.

Li Lehua didn't start talking right away. Instead, she looked at Gao Yue and Bai Lu outside the car and said, "It's not safe to stand here. You should get in the car and wait. It'll be over soon."

Gao Yue and Bai Lu exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes. What they meant by "it's not safe to stand here" was clearly something they didn't want them to hear.

Why do you have to keep something from them?
Could it be that Mr. Li is looking for a younger woman to date?
Despite their doubts, the two obediently walked towards the van, since it was the boss who had spoken.
Li Lehua closed the car window, looked at Bai Lu's back, and suddenly said, "Bai Lu is getting more and more beautiful."

Zhang Wen didn't answer, quietly waiting for his boss to continue. The other party had come specifically to see him, and it definitely wasn't just to say that Bai Lu had become more beautiful.

Li Lehua didn't hear a response from the young man, so he turned around and started to get down to business.

"Future Girls' current fame is inseparable from your support behind the scenes. I didn't expect you to be so good at promoting people in addition to your training work. Are you interested in forming a few more groups?"

"Mr. Li, I'm already overwhelmed with just one group, and I need Manager Gao's help. If we were to create several more groups, wouldn't that kill me? No way, no way." Zhang Wen declined without a second thought, because he sensed a conspiracy.

“I’m the company boss. You’re busy, but I can help you reduce your workload.” Li Lehua said with a concerned look, “I heard that the TV series ‘Perfect Days’ will wrap up filming at the end of the month? When you come back to the company, you’ll only be responsible for leading the group. As for the teaching work in the training department, you can leave it to others.”

Zhang Wen frowned slightly. Did the other party mean that he should give up his teaching job and focus on creating a new combination for the company?
Understood.

They probably didn't make much money from Future Girls, so they turned their attention to other groups.

If the company has a new combination, wouldn't it be able to get a share of the profits?
Good calculation.

"That's true, but the remaining trainees aren't capable enough," Zhang Wen said.

“I heard that 10 people passed your exam last month. So, it shouldn’t be a problem to form two groups,” Li Lehua said.

“Passing the monthly exam does not mean you are capable of debuting as a singer. The company only allocates small resources to the training department, such as backup dancers, backup singers, and featured actors. These do not require high standards from the trainees, so my standards for the monthly exams are not high either. If we were to follow the standards for group debut, none of the two hundred trainees would pass the exam.”

Zhang Wen felt that he had made his refusal very clear, and if people still didn't understand, then it was a personal problem.

"What standards? I've been in the entertainment industry for so many years, and I've never heard of any standards for trainees debuting. Besides, who are you? You're a hit song maker! Don't even mention those trainees who've been training for two or three years; even I could become famous singing a song you wrote. So, I'm sorry to trouble you with this. Don't worry, I definitely won't treat you unfairly," Li Lehua said with a smile. "Mr. Li, you're being too polite. It's just that hit songs aren't something you can just write on a whim. I still owe other singers five or six songs," Zhang Wen shook his head, feigning helplessness.

Talking about giving without talking about receiving is just wishful thinking.

Li Lehua clenched his fists, cursing under his breath, before finally saying, "Forty percent. You get forty percent of the group's profits, and the rest goes to the company and the artist. How about that?"

"Mr. Li, it's not about the money. I really don't have the energy to run any more groups," Zhang Wen said with a wry smile.

Forty percent?

Ha ha.

He contributed money, effort, and resources, and in the end he only got 40%? Is this how you treat a beggar?

"Fifty percent, with the company covering all expenses. That's my bottom line," Li Lehua said through gritted teeth.

Putting aside everything else, the marketing expenses for celebrities alone are a considerable expense, ranging from several million to tens of millions a year.

If the artist becomes famous, there's a chance to earn it back; if the artist doesn't become famous, all that money is simply wasted.

That's how entertainment companies spend their money.

Zhang Wen's heart stirred upon hearing this.

He doesn't have to pay anything, yet he gets 50% of the income?

It seems like we have something to talk about.

In this way, it's as if he's exchanging his own resources for 50% of the income.

It's worth noting that he and the Future Girls group only split the profits 50/50, and he had to pay for all the expenses in advance.

Yes, that's the attitude you should have when asking someone for a favor.

"Since Mr. Li has already put it this way, well, I'll give it a try." Zhang Wen reluctantly agreed.

"Sigh!" Li Lehua sighed as well. "Teacher Zhang, it's only because it's you. If it were anyone else, I definitely wouldn't have given him 50%. Now you know how much I value you, right?"

"I understand," Zhang Wen said, but he didn't really mean it.

The reason he is valued is because he can bring sufficient benefits to the company. If one day in the future he can no longer bring benefits to the company, will he still be valued? Certainly not.

The other party was interested in the resources behind him, believing that he could quickly help the artist become famous and increase his commercial value. He was also interested in the fact that the other party was the boss of Tianxi Media, and that it would be good to have a powerful backer.

each other.

"Let's go to my office. I'll have my secretary prepare the agreement, and we'll sign it first," Li Lehua said, just in case things got complicated and the young man might back out.
"So urgent?" Zhang Wen was taken aback.

The two of them had only discussed the general outline; there were actually many more details involved.

"You're so busy, I'm just afraid of taking up your time," Li Lehua said, putting on an act of selflessness.

Zhang Wen didn't believe what the other party said at all, but for the sake of the profit sharing, he didn't refute it. Isn't there a saying?
There are no permanent enemies, only permanent benefits.

For the sake of profit, he allowed the other party to play the role of a good boss in China.

Li Lehua drove the car into the parking space next to him, then opened the door and got out.

Zhang Wen took out his phone and sent a WeChat message to Gao Yue, telling them to go eat first and that he would arrive in an hour.

Actually, he originally wanted to invite Gao Yue to sign the contract together, since the other party was a professional and could spot any loopholes or traps at a glance.

But then I thought, the other party is an employee of Tianxi Media. If Gao Yue really finds any faults in the contract, wouldn't she be targeted relentlessly by Li Lehua, this capitalist?
Therefore, considering Gao Yue's job, he finally gave up the idea and decided to deal with Li Lehua himself.

In fact, having spent so much time with Gao Yue, he not only reviewed stockings but also learned a lot about artist contracts.

The contract that Zhao Tong and others renegotiated with the company was one that he spearheaded and helped review, so even if he was alone, he wasn't afraid at all.

Upon arriving at the general manager's office, the secretary had already prepared the contract and placed it on the desk.

These types of contracts usually have templates; you just need to modify some of the data.

Li Lehua picked up the document, handed it to Zhang Wen, and also handed him a pen. "Take a look. If there are no problems, sign it."

Zhang Wen nodded, knowing there must be a trap in the document, so he carefully read through it page by page.

as predicted.

He stopped when he got to the second page, pointed to one of the lines and asked, "Mr. Li, the group is required to pay no less than ten million to the company every year. If it is less than ten million, the person in charge will make up the difference. What's going on?"

"Is there anything wrong with that? Doesn't the Future Girls group pay ten million to the company every year?" Li Lehua said calmly.

“The ten million yuan that Future Girls paid was a buyout fee, reducing the contract term from eight years to three years. The other groups you asked me to create don’t have this clause about changing the contract term,” Zhang Wen said.

They agreed on a revenue split, but now they've added a guaranteed minimum. Does this mean the new group is destined to only become famous?

Assuming the newly launched group members have 8 years left on their artist contracts with the company, they will need to pay at least 80 million to the company during those 8 years.

How many groups can last for 8 years?
Not to mention in the country, it's rare even abroad.

"Isn't there any change to the term in this agreement?" Li Lehua was taken aback, then flipped through the documents. After finding that there really wasn't, he glared at his secretary and said, "What kind of work did you do? How could you make such a basic mistake?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Li, I... I wasn't paying attention," the secretary quickly apologized.

“If there’s a next time, you’re fired,” Li Lehua said coldly.

"Yes," the secretary replied, then bowed her head deeply.

Zhang Wen sneered inwardly, ignoring their act, and continued reading the contract.

Soon, another problem was discovered.

"Mr. Li, the profit sharing you mentioned to me in the car just now, was it profit sharing? Not revenue sharing?" Zhang Wen looked up at Li Lehua.

"Is there any difference?" Li Lehua asked casually.

"Mr. Li, I'm hungry. Let's talk about the contract another day." Zhang Wen stood up abruptly, threw the contract on the desk, and turned to leave.

What's the difference?
You're the boss, why are you asking me?
Since there's no sincerity, then goodbye.

……

(End of this chapter)