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

Chapter 464: Taking sides
Zhang Wen left Gao Yue's office, brought his hand to his nose, and inhaled the familiar scent. A surge of excitement rose within him. If only Bai Lu hadn't gone to Shanghai for the event today, he could have skipped work and gone home, and then…

"Ding!"

The elevator door slowly opened.

Zhang Wen looked up and saw Deputy General Manager Chen Mingyuan and his secretary standing inside.

If it were a regular employee, they would very consciously find an excuse to leave at this point and wait for the next elevator to avoid crowding the deputy general manager or interfering with his and his secretary's work discussion.

Zhang Wen was no ordinary employee, but just as he was about to go in, Chen Mingyuan, who was standing in the elevator, spoke first.

"Teacher Zhang? When did you come to the company?" Chen Mingyuan asked with a look of surprise. "Do you have time? I was just thinking of having a chat with you."

Zhang Wen was slightly taken aback. Why did so many people want to talk to him today? Considering that he had used the other party as a witness last time, he stepped into the elevator and said with a smile, "I have time."

"Great, let's go to my office then," Chen Mingyuan said happily, looking like a backup boyfriend who had successfully dated his goddess.

Zhang Wen became wary, wondering if the man had any designs on him.

The elevator arrived at the 1st floor and then went up to the 22nd floor.

During this time, no one entered the elevator. It wasn't that no one was using it, but rather that after seeing Vice President Chen inside, everyone consciously found various excuses not to go in.

The elevator doors slowly opened, and Chen Mingyuan stepped out first, gesturing for them to enter. His tone was even more enthusiastic than inside the elevator, "Teacher Zhang, this way. I just got a new tea set in my office, so I'd like to try some Lapsang Souchong that I brought back from my hometown."

Looking at Chen Mingyuan, who was clearly overly enthusiastic, Zhang Wen couldn't help but feel a little suspicious. Could it be that he wanted to thank Chen Mingyuan because he had severely damaged Li Lehua's prestige in the company last time?
When I arrived at Chen Mingyuan's office again, I could see the snow scene of half the city through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The tea table by the window was spotless, which wasn't there when I came a few days ago.

Chen Mingyuan sat down, fiddling with the tea set, and casually asked, "Teacher Zhang, has Future Girls' new album surpassed 125 million copies? I checked the data on the music platform this morning, and it's still rising. This momentum is absolutely unique among girl groups this year. Amazing!"

Zhang Wen sat down on the sofa and replied with a smile, "Thanks to the company's support and the hard work of the girls."

He didn't mention himself, which is obvious and unnecessary to mention. It would seem immodest. Was he going to say, "Old Deng, don't you know who wrote the song? No wonder it's a hit?"

That's not how you talk.

"Support?" Chen Mingyuan paused in pouring tea, looked up at the young man beside him, and said meaningfully, "Li Lehua has certainly given you a lot of trouble, hasn't she? I also heard that there's a clause in Future Girls' new contract that the company will not provide the group with funds or resources during the contract period. Where is the support in that?"

"Although I didn't contribute any money or resources, I did contribute a lot of manpower, otherwise the new album wouldn't have been produced so smoothly," Zhang Wen said casually.

“Future Girls are the company’s artists, so isn’t it only right that the company provides them with these things?” Chen Mingyuan said, pushing a cup of hot tea in front of Zhang Wen, and then said confidently, “Next time Future Girls releases an album, just tell me in advance, and the company will definitely help you plan the promotion.”

"Really? Then I'll thank you in advance, Mr. Chen." Zhang Wen said with a smile, picked up his teacup, blew on it, and then drank it all in one gulp.

Chen Mingyuan secretly sized up the young man and felt that the other party didn't seem to understand his meaning, so he didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "Teacher Zhang, I've been with Tianxi Media for three months now and I'm familiar with the situation of each department in the company. In the training department, you are the most capable. Are you interested in working with me in the future?"

Zhang Wen paused for a moment, then gently placed the teacup on the tea table. He finally understood why the other party was so enthusiastic; it turned out they wanted to win him over.

Actually, Zhang Wen could tell that the other party had this idea when they met last time, but she expressed it more subtly than she did today. It seems that the huge success of Future Girls' new album made her decide to take the plunge.

However, trying to win him over with just a few words seems like underestimating him.

“Mr. Chen, what are you saying? You are the company’s vice president, and I am just an ordinary employee. Isn’t it only right that I listen to you?” Zhang Wen said naturally.

Chen Mingyuan was taken aback by these words, thinking to himself: Li Lehua is still the company's general manager, did you even listen to that?
He looked at the other person's seemingly honest and trustworthy demeanor, which was so deceptive that he couldn't tell whether the other person was pretending to be confused or genuinely didn't understand what he meant.

Chen Mingyuan poured the young man another cup of tea, his gaze falling on his face. His tone was a bit more serious than before, "Teacher Zhang, we're both straightforward people, so I'll be frank. When I say you're 'working under my guidance,' it doesn't mean you have to follow my orders. In the future, if anything happens at the company, you'll have to stand by my side and support me."

"Mr. Chen, you're joking," Zhang Wen said. "I'm just an ordinary employee; you don't need my support at all."

“Teacher Zhang, you are now a recognized top musician in the music industry. Your influence is no less than that of any star. As long as you support me, I can give you a promotion and a raise, and provide more resources for the future girl,” Chen Mingyuan said confidently.

Zhang Wen held his teacup, his fingers tracing the rim, looking down at the tea without speaking, waiting for the other person to continue.

Seeing that the other party did not intend to refuse, Chen Mingyuan knew that this matter was promising, so he continued, "I have already communicated with the human resources department. As long as you nod, you will immediately become the deputy director of the training department, with double the salary. As for Future Girl, whatever publicity channels you want, whether it is short video platforms or interviews with mainstream media, I can help you connect. The resources are more than you can imagine."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wen's heart stirred. The doubling of his salary as a deputy director was not a big deal; the main thing was the promotional channels, which were what he needed most at the moment.

In the past, when promoting Future Girls, they relied entirely on piggybacking, either by competing with Super Trainee or the Golden Melody Awards. The few times they appeared on television were also obtained through their connections with Zhou Siyi.

Now that the show "Super Trainee" has finished airing and the Golden Melody Awards have come to an end, it has become much more difficult to promote oneself by trying to piggyback on others' success.

If Chen Mingyuan can truly provide publicity resources for the future girl, it would be like sending charcoal in snowy weather, solving his urgent problem.

However, his momentary silence made Chen Mingyuan feel that his sincerity was not enough. After hesitating for a moment, he chose to continue to increase his offer.

"Teacher Zhang, even though I haven't been with Tianxi Media for long, I have a wide network of connections at the TV station. I can assure you that I can bring more than three variety shows to Future Girls this year, as well as the New Year's Eve galas and Spring Festival galas on the five major TV stations at the end of the year. How about that?"

Oh?
Zhang Wen looked up at Chen Mingyuan, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. Three variety shows, New Year's Eve galas and Spring Festival galas on five major TV stations—these are resources that ordinary connections can't secure.

He truly hadn't expected this old guy to have such a wide network of connections.

But thinking about it carefully, if you don't have connections, could you have been placed in Tianxi Media as the vice general manager by the board of directors?

This position requires both ability and resources.

"Mr. Chen, you're not joking with me, are you?" Zhang Wen asked, his tone somewhat probing, while also reminding the other party not to just make empty promises, but to offer concrete guarantees.

Chen Mingyuan was a seasoned veteran, and he immediately understood that the young man wanted reassurance. So he confidently said, "Teacher Zhang, if I dare to say it, I am confident that I can do it. To be honest, I have old classmates at Shanghai TV and Hunan TV. I also worked at Zhejiang TV for a period of time. As for Beijing TV and Southern Jiangsu TV, I also have friends there. If you don't believe me, I can call them right now."

As he spoke, he took his phone out of his pocket.
"No need," Zhang Wen quickly said upon seeing this. "I trust President Chen." In his view, whether the other party truly had connections or was just making empty promises, the truth would eventually come out, and there was no need to call now to prove it.

Isn't it just about taking sides?

Anyway, his conflict with Li Lehua was already irreconcilable, and Vice President Liu listened to Li Lehua's every word. Now that the new vice president was taking the initiative to protect him, it wouldn't hurt to stand on the other side.

If the other party can keep their promise, then he won't have to worry about the girl's exposure this year. For him, that's more attractive than the 'Deputy Director of Training Department' and 'doubled salary'.

If the other party is just talking nonsense, he won't suffer any loss. If Li Lehua wants to use the company's power to suppress him in the future, someone will stand up to stop him. At worst, the company can still use its resources to promote Future Girls.

Anyway, he doesn't have to spend any money, so he won't lose out either way.

"Really?" Chen Mingyuan's eyes lit up, and a smile immediately appeared on his face. He assured her, "Teacher Zhang, don't worry. I, Chen Mingyuan, always believe in win-win situations in business. As long as you stand on my side, Future Girls' resources will only increase, not decrease. I will definitely not let you down. Well, to show my sincerity, I will arrange a variety show for Future Girls when we come back from the Spring Festival."

"Then I thank you, Mr. Chen." Zhang Wen paused here, knowing that just expressing his gratitude wasn't enough; he would definitely need to offer something in return. So he asked, "I wonder what I can do for Mr. Chen?"

Seeing that the young man was so cooperative, Chen Mingyuan didn't stand on ceremony. He smiled, leaned forward, and said in a low voice, "The board members already know about Li Lehua and your matter. After the Spring Festival, I will take over the training department. You just need to train a few more trainees. I believe this will not be a difficult task for you."

Zhang Wen was taken aback for a moment, and immediately understood the other party's purpose.

Compared to other departments, the training department is undoubtedly one of the easiest to achieve results. As long as a few new people are trained, it can not only demonstrate the leader's good leadership, but also highlight how incompetent Li Lehua was before.

However, the other party's ideas differed somewhat from his plans.

The training department does have a few good trainees, but he plans to keep them for himself. If he makes them famous, how will he take them away later?

Zhang Wen thought for a moment before saying, "President Chen, it's already quite an achievement for the training department to produce one Tang Yi and one Future Girls group. It's almost impossible to cultivate several more super rookies in a short period of time."

Upon hearing this, Chen Mingyuan's smile froze. If he couldn't cultivate new talent, how could he prove himself to the board of directors?
Zhang Wen naturally knew what the other party was worried about, and said seriously, "President Chen, if you trust me, then go and take over the film and television production department."

Chen Mingyuan frowned slightly. Whether it was a movie or a TV series, the production cycle was too long, which was not a good choice for him who was eager to achieve results in a short time.

"Why?" Chen Mingyuan asked.

"Because the training department has run out of promising talents, I plan to focus this year's work on filming TV dramas," Zhang Wen said.

"What?" Chen Mingyuan was stunned. Although he didn't say it out loud, his thoughts were written all over his face.

'You're just a teacher in the training department, what are you doing filming TV dramas?'

Zhang Wen ignored the other party's reaction and continued, "I believe you've heard that besides writing songs, my biggest hobby is writing screenplays. The TV series 'Perfect Days,' starring Bai Lu and directed by Han Xiaohua, was written by me. If you trust me, I'll write another screenplay this year and ask Han Xiaohua to direct it again. This time, you'll be the producer. If it doesn't make money, I'll make up for any losses."

A hint of surprise flashed in Chen Mingyuan's eyes. So confident?
He had heard about the other party writing the script and it was even made into a TV series, but the TV series hadn't aired yet, and nobody knew how the market would react.

If the ratings are poor and he insists on continuing to support the production of the other party's TV series, then not only will the employees in the company talk about him, but he will also have no way to explain it to the board of directors.

"Mr. Chen, you don't distrust me, do you?" Zhang Wen asked, squinting his eyes.

"No, I absolutely do not mean I don't believe you." Chen Mingyuan immediately waved his hand, then hesitated and said, "It's just that there's nothing wrong with the film and television production department, so I can't find a reason to interfere."

"No problem?" Zhang Wen scoffed and retorted, "President Chen, how long has it been since Tianxi Media produced a hit TV series? Isn't that the biggest problem?"

Chen Mingyuan was stunned for a moment. He just didn't know how to get involved in the film and television production department, but he didn't expect that the other party had found a loophole in it.

The fact that there hasn't been a hit TV series in a long time is a problem, or it's not a problem. The key is whether someone is making a fuss about it.

Previously, the company was run by Li Lehua, who had absolute authority; whatever he said went. But things are different now that Chen Mingyuan has arrived, so this matter has become a problem.

In all calculations, the film and television production department is far more important than the training department.

If he can make good use of this loophole, he might be able to tear a piece of flesh off Li Lehua.

He was initially worried about the TV series' ratings, but now he's decided to seize the opportunity and take a gamble.

There's a saying, isn't there? "The bolder the man, the greater the harvest."

He chose to believe the young man in front of him.

“You’re right.” Chen Mingyuan raised his head and said, “I will try to negotiate with the board of directors. If the board doesn’t agree, I will start by becoming the producer of your next TV series. I will make sure it’s made no matter what, so that they can see my vision.”

Zhang Wen immediately gave the other party a thumbs up and praised, "President Chen, you have guts!"

In his heart, he was thinking: There's a buyer for the next script.

I remember the script for "Perfect Days" sold for over four million; this one should easily make five million.

"I wish us a pleasant cooperation!" Chen Mingyuan raised the teacup on the table.

Zhang Wen also raised his teacup. He liked the word 'cooperation,' which indicated that the relationship between the two parties was equal, rather than one party being superior to the other.

"Mr. Chen, it's a pleasure doing business with you!"

……

(End of this chapter)