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

Chapter 517 Heading Nationwide
The aftermath of the opening ceremony of Xingxiang Art Examination Center continues to spread online, dominating the trending topics on Douyin and Weibo. The live broadcast of the ceremony has been edited into multiple clips and disseminated by netizens.

The presence of business tycoons such as Yang Yuhong, Su Yang, and Zhou Siyi, along with the scenes of celebrities collectively attending the carnival, became the key to attracting traffic on short video platforms. Even official media outlets reprinted and reported on it, calling it the most 'luxurious' launch ceremony in the art exam industry.

In just a few days, Xingxiang's Douyin account followers skyrocketed from 11 to 87, and his private messages were full of parents from all over the country inquiring about registration.

In addition to the online scene, the offline scene was equally bustling.

In the days following the opening ceremony of Xingxiang headquarters, parents continued to register, with the queue stretching from the front desk to the main entrance. Many elderly people lined up, only reluctantly leaving after clarifying that it was for art exam training registration and not for receiving free eggs.

Compared to the popularity of Xingxiang Art Exam Training Center, other art exam training institutions seem much quieter. Fine arts and design majors are doing a bit better, but for majors like performance, dance, and music that Xingxiang offers, the number of applicants is pitifully small.

Especially in performing arts, the number of students is less than a quarter of what it was in previous years.

In order to recruit more students during the art exam training season, many training institutions have had to make various urgent adjustments.

Some lowered tuition fees, some advertised "celebrity instructors," and others launched "free trial classes for one month" programs. In short, they racked their brains and tried every possible method.

If before it was about making money and achieving better results, now it's simply about survival.

Nobody wants to close down during this crisis.

Everyone knows that when a whale falls, countless things come to life.

Similarly, the birth of a behemoth is usually accompanied by countless deaths.

As we approach mid-July, registration for summer art exam preparation courses is drawing to a close.

In the evening, Zhang Wen arrived at headquarters.

Next week is the official start date of the training course, and he needs to check the registration situation during this period and arrange the classes accordingly.

There have been too many people signing up lately, and we don't know if the current 30 teachers are enough. If not, we need to add more as soon as possible to avoid affecting the start of classes next week.

"Principal, come quick!"

Xu Zining waved the registration form in her hand and said excitedly, "As of 5 p.m., the total number of people who have registered this year is 4121, which is more than five times that of last year!"

Zhang Wen took the registration form and looked at it; it was covered with recent registration information.

He had expected Xingxiang to capitalize on the ceremony's popularity to generate a surge in registrations, but he hadn't anticipated it would become this popular.

It seems that the celebrities who tipped in the live stream and the entrepreneurs who attended played a significant role in this process.

This is star power.

"Not bad!" Zhang Wen nodded in satisfaction.

If we're talking about the number of students, Xingxiang is probably the largest art exam training institution in Beijing right now. Even the original top five art exam training institutions didn't have this many students.

There really isn't a single capable person in the art exam training industry!

Zhang Wen sighed inwardly, suddenly feeling a sense of loneliness at the top.

Standing at the peak, with no one around to rival you, who can understand that loneliness!
“Principal, there are still many inquiries online, and the vast majority of them are from other places. They are asking when Xingxiang will open a branch in their city, and some are asking if remote teaching is possible. I have taken a preliminary look, and there are two or three thousand people in this group,” Xu Zining said.

Xingxiang's fame has now spread beyond Beijing and reached the whole country.

Every art student studying performance, dance, and music knows Xingxiang, and even regards it as a bridge to pursue their dreams. As long as they cross this bridge, they can reach the hall of art.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wen placed the registration form on the table. Believe it or not, he actually did have the idea of ​​establishing branches in other cities.

How can we just collect incense offerings in the capital?
The scope must be expanded.

This way, he can collect more incense offerings to help him ascend to immortality.

Previously, due to insufficient reputation, even opening branches in other places wouldn't attract many applicants. However, things are different now. Xingxiang's reputation has spread throughout the country through live streaming, and the number of parents from other places who have inquired is the best proof of this.

Zhang Wen glanced at the calendar on the table. It was July 16th. Art exams usually take place at the end of the year and the beginning of the year, so there was still enough time to establish a branch.

Even though the enrollment for art exam training across the country is nearing its end, he believes that with Xingxiang's reputation and achievements, it will definitely attract many students.

Even if it doesn't reach several thousand people, surely it can reach several hundred?
Based on an average of 99 incense sticks per person, one could receive tens of thousands of incense sticks per day.

It should be noted that for a long time in the past, his main source of income came from the two hundred trainees in the training department of Tianxi Media.

"Zining, please compile statistics on the geographical distribution of inquiries from other regions, focusing on first-tier cities and provincial capitals," Zhang Wen instructed.

Time waits not for us!

Xu Zining's eyes widened in surprise, and she stammered, "Principal, you...you're not really planning to open a branch in another city, are you?"

"What do you think?" Zhang Wen patted the registration form on the table and said seriously, "Since parents and art students have this need, of course we should take action and live up to those children's dreams."

In his view, there is no need to worry about the local student population. If he wants to increase the number of students, he will have to rely on art students and their parents from all over the country.

His plan was to expand from one city to multiple cities, and then from multiple cities to even more cities.

When Xu Zining looked at the principal, her eyes were full of stars.

The principal is willing to open a training center in another city for the sake of art students' dreams; this act of helping others is truly admirable.

“Okay, Principal, I’ll take the statistics right away,” Xu Zining said.

Zhang Wen returned to his office with the registration form, but instead of immediately scheduling classes, he looked through the files of each teacher.

The organization currently has teachers from all over the country. He can talk to these teachers and if anyone is willing to return to their hometown to work, he can take this opportunity to transfer them back.

He quickly selected the teachers from other places.

Of these 30 teachers, 21 come from all over the country, including both large and small cities.

Small cities were not on Zhang Wen's list of options, since few people take the art exams and even if he opened an art exam training class, he wouldn't be able to recruit many people.

In contrast, it is much easier for economically developed and populous large cities to recruit students.

"Dang Dang Dang!"

A knock suddenly sounded at the door. Since the door was not closed, Zhang Wen immediately saw Xu Zining standing outside.

"Come in, are you done with the statistics?" Zhang Wen asked, his gaze falling on the A4 paper in the other person's hand.

“Yes, Principal, according to statistics, the six cities with the most inquiries are Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Sichuan, Wuhan, and Hangzhou.” Xu Zining said as she placed the data sheet on her desk.

Zhang Wen glanced at the list briefly. There were over 500 users in Shanghai asking questions, and even in Hangzhou, which was ranked lower, there were over 200. Although it couldn't compare to Beijing, it was still a good opportunity, so why not take advantage of it?

"Okay, I understand. Thank you for your hard work. Go home and rest now," Zhang Wen said to Xu Zining.

The busiest person in the entire training center right now is the other party's general affairs director.

"Okay, Principal, I'll be going now." Xu Zining gave a slight bow, then turned and walked out of the office.

Zhang Wen looked at the six cities on the statistics table, then his gaze fell on the teacher's information.

One teacher is from Wucheng, two teachers are from Chuancheng, and three teachers are from Hangzhou. As for the three cities of Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou, there are none.

It doesn't matter if he doesn't have it. If he doesn't have it here, don't other training institutions have it? And even if other training institutions and entertainment companies don't have it?
In his view, teachers from other training institutions and entertainment companies are Xingxiang's reserve pool; if they lack teachers, they can simply poach them.

With money, what problem can't be solved?

Zhang Wen took out his phone and dialed Chen Xiwen's number; the other party was from Hangzhou.

As a single woman working in another city, I would probably love to go back to my hometown to work.

Soon, the call was connected.

"Principal, what are your instructions?" Chen Xiwen's voice came through the microphone.

"Teacher Chen, you're from Hangzhou, right? Have you ever thought about going back to work in Hangzhou?" Zhang Wen asked directly, getting straight to the point.

"..."

The person on the other end of the phone was clearly taken aback, and after a long pause, a trembling voice came through, "Principal, what...what do you mean? Did I do something wrong?"

Zhang Wen immediately realized that the other party had misunderstood, and quickly explained, "Teacher Chen, it's not what you think. It's like this: I'm planning to set up a branch in Hangzhou. Aren't you from Hangzhou? If you'd like to return to Hangzhou, I can transfer you there with the same benefits."

"Principal, really? Are we really going to set up a branch in Hangzhou?" Chen Xiwen asked in surprise, her earlier worries completely gone, replaced by a face full of joy.

She chose to work in Beijing because she felt she would have better career prospects there.

What constitutes better development? Naturally, it's earning more money.

In other words, if one can make a lot of money in their hometown, who would be willing to leave their hometown?
Returning to work in my hometown not only allows me to see my parents and friends every day, but also significantly reduces my cost of living.

"Do you think I would joke with you about something like this? Besides Hangzhou, we will also open branches in cities such as Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Sichuan, and Wuhan. Do you want to go back to your hometown to work?" Zhang Wen asked.

"Yes, I can do it!" Chen Xiwen answered without hesitation this time.

“Okay, I understand. You focus on your classes. I’ll transfer you over once the branch is ready,” Zhang Wen said.

"Okay, Principal, thank you!" Chen Xiwen said gratefully. If her parents knew about this, they would be very happy.

"By the way, when you were working at Jiahua, were there any teachers from these six cities around you?" Zhang Wen asked.

"Yes, I remember that Teacher Liu Ying is from Guangcheng, and Teacher Du Qingfang is from Hangzhou like me, and..." Chen Xiwen rattled off five names in one breath, but didn't know about the other majors.

Zhang Wen asked Chen Xiwen for the phone numbers of these people before hanging up and starting to call the next teacher.

Just as he had thought, everyone was happy to return to their hometowns to work, provided that their salaries remained the same.

In Beijing, this amount of money isn't much, but back in my hometown, it would definitely be considered a high salary.

After settling things off with his own teachers, Zhang Wen turned his attention to the names of the teachers provided by Chen Xiwen. After thinking for a moment, he didn't contact them immediately, but instead called Liu Qing first.

Liu Qing used to be a receptionist at Jia Hua, so she should have some understanding of the teachers there.

Moreover, Chen Xiwen is providing teachers specializing in performance, and he now needs teachers specializing in dance and music in addition to performance teachers.

"Principal, you wanted to see me?" Liu Qing's voice came through the receiver.

"When you were working at Jiahua, were you familiar with the dance and music teachers?" Zhang Wen asked.

"I wouldn't say we're close, but I know every single one of the teachers," Liu Qing said.

"Do you know where those teachers are from?" Zhang Wen continued to ask.

"Hometown? Well... some people know, some don't. Why are you asking this, Principal?" Liu Qing asked curiously.

She understands asking for names and phone numbers, but asking where one's hometown is—is she trying to claim kinship?
“I plan to establish Xingxiang branches in six cities: Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Sichuan, Wuhan, and Hangzhou. We urgently need a group of teachers, so I plan to poach some from other training institutions,” Zhang Wen said.

His first target was definitely Jia Hua, since he was destined to meet Jia Hua.

"Branch? Principal, I'm from Wucheng. Can I work at the Wucheng branch?" Liu Qing asked excitedly.

Yesterday, when I was video chatting with my family, my mom asked me when I was going back to Wucheng. I didn't expect the opportunity to come so soon.

“Of course,” Zhang Wen said.

"That's great! Principal, I'll call them right away and ask each of them where they're from," Liu Qing said happily.

"If you can poach someone from here, I'll give you a reward of ten thousand per person," Zhang Wen said.

He believed that a generous reward would surely attract brave men.

It should be easier to poach someone's partner from someone you know.

Upon hearing this, Liu Qing's emotions were immediately stirred. Poaching one person is equivalent to earning an extra month's salary. If you poach ten or twenty people... just thinking about it makes one's blood boil.

"Don't worry, Principal, I will do my best to dig deep and live up to your expectations," Liu Qing said confidently.

"Yes, I'll be waiting for your good news!" Zhang Wen said with a smile.

"Crack!"

call ended.

Zhang Wen stared blankly at the phone that had been hung up so abruptly; it seemed the other party had truly taken the matter seriously.

That's true. A reward of 10,000 yuan for each person you recruit—where else can you find such a windfall? Since we've encountered this opportunity, we should seize it, otherwise, we might miss out on it altogether.

Zhang Wen looked at the numbers provided by Chen Xiwen and finally dialed them.

……

(End of this chapter)